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Poll Shows Increased Support for Statewide Smoking Ban

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For the second year in a row, a poll shows a majority of Kentucky favor a statewide smoking ban.

Last year the poll, conducted by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, showed a majority favored a ban for the first time.

And now that number has increased to 62 percent of registered voters favoring a statewide ban. Less than 40 percent opposed such a ban, while the rest had no opinion. 

“We have polled on this issue since 2010 and support for a smoke-free law has increased steadily since then,” said Dr. Susan Zepeda, President/CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. “This issue continues to gain support with Kentuckians of all ages and from all walks of life.” 

Many cities and counties in Kentucky have passed smoke-free laws over the last decade, after Lexington passed the state's first in 2004. 

And a bill to put a statewide smoking ban in public places has slowly moved through the legislature the past two years, but has faced trouble in the state Senate. 

The Kentucky Health Issues Poll was funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The poll was conducted September 20-October 14, 2012, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 1,680 adults from throughout Kentucky was interviewed by telephone, including landlines and cell phones. The poll has a margin of error of 2.5%.

Kenny Colston is the Frankfort Bureau Chief for Kentucky Public Radio (a collaborative effort of public radio stations in Kentucky). Colston has covered Kentucky's Capitol and state government since 2010. He is a Louisville native, and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. When he's not tracking down stories about Kentucky politics, you can often find him watching college sports, particularly football.
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