University of Kentucky Expands Ban on Smoking

The University of Kentucky has officially placed an expanded ban on smoking and tobacco across its entire campus, stating that a smoke-free policy has various health benefits and should be implemented and followed especially in places where there are all types of people, at any given time.

The newly expanded ban includes outdoor areas and applies to, in addition to cigarette smoking, chewing of tobacco, pipes, cigars and snuff. The new development has come as a shock to many residents of a place which leads the country in production of burley tobacco and records some of the highest smoking rates across the nation.

"Going tobacco-free may not be the easiest thing to do, it may not be the most politically popular thing to do, but in my mind it's the right thing to do for this campus", saidUniversity of Kentucky President Lee Todd. The goal of the ban is to make the entire university smoke free within the next year.

UK is not the only campus in the nation which is looking at making smoking a thing of the past, University of Louisville also placed restrictions on smoking starting Thursday, and only few areas of the campus are now open to smokers. Pikeville College is also aiming at making its campus smoke free by fall, as was confirmed on Thursday.

(Via TopNews United States)