In 2006, Alaska desperately needed cash to complete a museum featuring a mummified bison and other natural wonders of the frozen north. So the state dipped into its share of the landmark 1998 tobacco settlement.

A story from the AP says, the billions that began flowing from cigarette makers to the states a decade ago also helped outfit the Niagara County, N.Y., golf course with new carts and sprinklers. And the money has gone toward college scholarships in Michigan, tax breaks in Illinois and Ohio, a dog catcher in Lincoln, Neb., and jails and schools elsewhere around the country.

Of the $61.5 billion divided among 46 states between 2000 and 2006, only 30 percent was spent on health care, according to federal Government Accountability Office data analyzed by The Associated Press. Less than 4 percent went to anti-smoking efforts.

States had sued the industry to recover the crushing costs of treating smoking-related illnesses in people enrolled in public health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Big Tobacco also agreed to eliminate advertising aimed at teenagers. In return, it won protection from future lawsuits.

At the time, many states intended to spend settlement money on health care and anti-smoking campaigns. But even then, lawmakers and others were eyeing the money for other needs.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, whose state sold off tobacco debt to fund a job-growing initiative, said states have every right to use settlement money to maintain their overall fiscal health and it doesn't mean they are ignoring smoking.

"It's not as if Ohio and a lot of other states haven't taken the smoking issue seriously," he said, noting Ohio's recently passed statewide smoking ban. "It's a question of who should be making the decision of how those resources are used: Should it be elected representatives of the people, or perhaps individuals or groups with a more narrowly focused view?"