Kentucky’s largest public college system will ban tobacco products on all of its campuses starting in 2015.
Currently, seven of the 16 campuses that make up the Kentucky Community and Technical College System have a tobacco policy in place. The new system-wide policy will ban all products, including e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco, at the remaining campuses. All other public universities, except Western Kentucky and Murray State, already have policies banning tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Several of the state’s independent colleges still have designated smoking areas for students. Others have tobacco or smoking policies, but not all include e-cigarettes. Kentucky has the highest number of adult smokers in the U.S and leads the country in cancer deaths. Health advocates are hoping lawmakers pass a state-wide smoking bill in the next legislative session. An executive order by Gov. Steve Beshear banned all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco, on state-owned property.
