Kentucky Gets All F's for Smoking Policies
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Jan 21st, 2009
Kentucky Receives All F's for Smoking Policies
Kentucky received all F's for its policies on tobacco in the American Lung Association’s annual State of Tobacco Control report released on January 13, 2009. Read the full report here.
In the seven years the report card has been issued, Kentucky has always received all F's in the four areas that were graded. In addition to its tax rate, Kentucky got an F this year for its lack of smoke-free laws, the absence of Medicaid and state employee coverage for cessation programs, and the little money the state spends on tobacco prevention and control.
Most of the states in the Southeast also received an F for cigarette taxes. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has proposed raising Kentucky’s cigarette tax, now 30 cents per pack, to one dollar.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Kentucky spend $57.2 million a year on smoking prevention and control; it actually spends $4.2 million.
Six other states got all F's this year. They were Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. No state received all A's.
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