US: Statewide Public Smoking Ban Favored by Two-thirds of Kentuckians in Poll

Source from:  courier-journal.com  01/03/2014

About two-thirds of Kentuckians favor a statewide law against lighting up in public places, according to a new poll that has found steadily rising support in a state with the nation's highest smoking rate.

The Kentucky Health Issues Poll, released on Thursday, says 65 percent of adult residents would favor a ban on smoking in places such as public buildings, offices, workplaces, restaurants and bars. Twenty-nine percent said they would oppose such a law, and the rest said they didn't know whether they would support or oppose it.

"Our findings reveal the statewide smoke-free issue continues to gain support among Kentuckians of all ages, walks of life and varying political party affiliations," said Susan Zepeda, president and chief executive officer of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a nonprofit philanthropic organization aiming to address unmet health needs of Kentuckians, which funded the poll, along with the greater Cincinnati foundation Interact for Health.

Support for the idea has grown consistently since 2010, when supporters and opponents were evenly split at 48 percent.

"Sixty-five percent doesn't surprise me at all," said Ellen Hahn, a University of Kentucky professor in the colleges of nursing and public health who directs the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy, a research and educational center in the college of nursing. "I'm pleased that it's gone up every year." Enditem