(LEX 18) — Beginning next school year, a new Kentucky law will require school districts to enforce policies that ban tobacco products on campus. Part of that means putting up new signs making it clear that the campus is tobacco free.
Schools trying to enforce the law are running into an issue. The problem is the law didn't provide any funding to get the job done. A new partnership was formed to help schools afford the signage. The foundation for a healthy Kentucky, the Kentucky Medical Association and the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care teamed up to pay for signs, including car stickers, that promote tobacco free campuses.
They hope it not only helps students avoid cigarettes, but vapes and e-cigarettes which they say are specifically designed to addict teens to nicotine.
"They come in flavors that are often times compelling to our youth. Do you think that unicorn vomit and cotton candy are designed to get a 45 year old to stop smoking? Or to get a teenager to start smoking in the first place?" Dr. Bruce Scott tells LEX 18.
All school districts who go tobacco free are welcome to apply for funding.
