The number of youth smoking in Kentucky is at an historic low according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
The 2015 Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey finds smoking rates among Kentucky high school students at 16.9%, down from 26.2% from a decade ago. In a news release, state officials attribute the decrease to the success of tobacco-free school policies. 35% of school districts in the commonwealth are tobacco-free. The policy prohibits the use of tobacco, including alternative nicotine and vapor products.
A Kentucky Health Issues Poll earlier this yearfound 85% of Kentuckians favor tobacco-free school campuses. Murray State University's campus is tobacco-free, as are Murray Independent, Marshall County and Webster County school districts.
