Health News
- Western Kentucky University Will Gradually Become Tobacco Free; Last Public University In Kentucky To Do So
Western Kentucky University will slowly go tobacco-free by 2018 through a phased-in approach, becoming the last public university in the state to do so, Lisa Autry reports for WKU Public Radio. "Although I've never smoked, I know how addictive nicotine...
- State-property Smoking Ban Seems To Cut Share Of Smokers In Executive Branch, More Than Other Employees In State Health Plan
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News State-government moves against smoking have reduced it among Executive Branch employees at a greater rate than among state employees who were not affected by Gov. Steve Beshear's order that banned smoking on...
- Ky. Newspapers Support Beshear's Expanded Smoking Ban For State-government Sites, Back Statewide Smoking Ban
The Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville stands firmly in favor of the executive order put in place last week to ban employees and visitors from using all tobacco products in most state government buildings, says a recent editorial, republished by the...
- Beshear Bans Use Of Tobacco Products And E-cigarettes On Or Near Buildings And Property The State Owns Or Leases
Gov. Steve Beshear issued an executive order Sept, 4 that soon ban all tobacco products and e-cigarettes from more than 26.4 million square feet of executive branch buildings and grounds on Nov. 20. All executive-branch buildings are smoke-free inside,...
- Russell County School Board Makes All Campuses Tobacco-free, But Delays Implementation For One Year
The Russell County Board of Education has voted to make all the county's school campuses tobacco-free a year from now, "After some lengthy discussion by the board and visitors," The Times Journal of Russell Springs reports. The vote was 4-0, with...
Health News
Smoking ban upsets some state workers; entrepreneur starts a van to take some off Human Resources campus to smoke
Cigarettes and all other tobacco products, as well as e-cigarettes, are no longer allowed on most state property, both indoors and outside, and some state workers aren't happy about it, Jack Brammer reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
"Under the new rules, employees and visitors to executive branch agencies of state government won't be able to light up or chew tobacco in state-owned or state-leased buildings, in state-owned vehicles or on state property ? including parking lots, sidewalks and green space under the control of the executive branch of government," Brammer writes, reporting that state workers "are fuming about it."
About a dozen people smoking outside the state Human Resources Building last week told Brammer they were not happy with the policy. All but one did not want to be identified for "fear of retribution," he reports, but Andrea Schank of Frankfort told him, "It feels like discrimination against smokers." She and the others said there should be a designated smoking area. State Personnel Secretary Tim Longmeyer told Brammer that wouldn't happen. He said state officials understand how addictive smoking is and they "are helping people to stop."
David Smith, president of the Kentucky Association of State Employees, said "state workers who smoke should have a designated area and called the state's ban on smoking in personal cars on state property 'really invasive,'" Brammer writes.
Schank told Brammer that workers in the building will now have to walk about a half-mile to smoke, but that may not be the case if a new enterprise stays in business. Bill Bryant of WKYT-TV reported on KET's "Comment on Kentucky" Friday night that a van is circulating in and around the huge Human Resources campus, giving smokers a ride to places off the campus during work breaks.
State government is the largest employer in Kentucky, and the tobacco-free rule will affect about 33,000 state workers, plus hundreds of thousands of visitors to state offices and properties. Gov. Steve Beshear makes no apologies for the executive order that put this policy in place, justifying his decision with Kentucky's dismal health statistics. Kentucky ranks first in smoking and cancer deaths.
Kentucky is the fifth state to adopt such a policy. The others are Delaware, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Dakota. Details of the policy can be found at https://tobacco-free.ky.gov.
"Under the new rules, employees and visitors to executive branch agencies of state government won't be able to light up or chew tobacco in state-owned or state-leased buildings, in state-owned vehicles or on state property ? including parking lots, sidewalks and green space under the control of the executive branch of government," Brammer writes, reporting that state workers "are fuming about it."
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| Human Resources Building, from main highway entrance |
David Smith, president of the Kentucky Association of State Employees, said "state workers who smoke should have a designated area and called the state's ban on smoking in personal cars on state property 'really invasive,'" Brammer writes.
Schank told Brammer that workers in the building will now have to walk about a half-mile to smoke, but that may not be the case if a new enterprise stays in business. Bill Bryant of WKYT-TV reported on KET's "Comment on Kentucky" Friday night that a van is circulating in and around the huge Human Resources campus, giving smokers a ride to places off the campus during work breaks.
State government is the largest employer in Kentucky, and the tobacco-free rule will affect about 33,000 state workers, plus hundreds of thousands of visitors to state offices and properties. Gov. Steve Beshear makes no apologies for the executive order that put this policy in place, justifying his decision with Kentucky's dismal health statistics. Kentucky ranks first in smoking and cancer deaths.
Kentucky is the fifth state to adopt such a policy. The others are Delaware, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Dakota. Details of the policy can be found at https://tobacco-free.ky.gov.
- Western Kentucky University Will Gradually Become Tobacco Free; Last Public University In Kentucky To Do So
Western Kentucky University will slowly go tobacco-free by 2018 through a phased-in approach, becoming the last public university in the state to do so, Lisa Autry reports for WKU Public Radio. "Although I've never smoked, I know how addictive nicotine...
- State-property Smoking Ban Seems To Cut Share Of Smokers In Executive Branch, More Than Other Employees In State Health Plan
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News State-government moves against smoking have reduced it among Executive Branch employees at a greater rate than among state employees who were not affected by Gov. Steve Beshear's order that banned smoking on...
- Ky. Newspapers Support Beshear's Expanded Smoking Ban For State-government Sites, Back Statewide Smoking Ban
The Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville stands firmly in favor of the executive order put in place last week to ban employees and visitors from using all tobacco products in most state government buildings, says a recent editorial, republished by the...
- Beshear Bans Use Of Tobacco Products And E-cigarettes On Or Near Buildings And Property The State Owns Or Leases
Gov. Steve Beshear issued an executive order Sept, 4 that soon ban all tobacco products and e-cigarettes from more than 26.4 million square feet of executive branch buildings and grounds on Nov. 20. All executive-branch buildings are smoke-free inside,...
- Russell County School Board Makes All Campuses Tobacco-free, But Delays Implementation For One Year
The Russell County Board of Education has voted to make all the county's school campuses tobacco-free a year from now, "After some lengthy discussion by the board and visitors," The Times Journal of Russell Springs reports. The vote was 4-0, with...