LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 3, 2014) – Since 2010, the 
Kentucky Health Issues poll (KHIP) has asked Kentucky adults their views about a smoke-free policy for all public places.
The poll was created after the U.S. surgeon general reported in 2006 that no amount of secondhand smoke is risk-free
and recommended eliminating 
all indoor smoking. Smoke-free 
environments reduce the health 
risks of secondhand smoke to 
nonsmokers.
According to the Centers for
 Disease Control and Prevention, 
26 states and the District of
 Columbia have comprehensive smoke-free laws. The laws cover
all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.
Kentucky does not currently have
 a comprehensive smoke-free law. However, according to the most recent poll, nearly seven in 10 Kentucky adults (65 percent) favored a statewide smoke- free law, while fewer than one in three (29 percent) opposed a law and 6 percent had no opinion. Support for the law has consistently increased since 2010.
There is a clear relationship between support for a statewide smoke-free law and whether one smokes. Among those who have never smoked, eight in 10 (84 percent) favored a smoke-free law, while seven in 10 former smokers (72 percent) also supported a law.
One in three Kentucky adults said they were a current smoker (33 percent). Of these, nearly four in 10 (38 percent) favored a statewide smoke-free law.
A majority of Democrats (69 percent), Republicans (64 percent) and Independents (57 percent) reported support for a statewide smoke-free law.
