On November 19th the Board of Trustees at the University of Kentucky voted to create a tobacco-free campus to improve student health and promote a healthy environment. The tobacco industry has historically accounted for about 50 percent of the Kentucky’s crop revenue.

University of Kentucky is the largest university in the state, so this decision may set a precedent for other universities in the state to follow.

Students have had mixed reactions to the decision. Some believe the ban will lead to better health while others believe having designated smoking areas would be a better alternative.

Students such as Hannah Mayfield, a freshman English major, believe the ban will be a major inconvenience. “I really like to smoke before and after class, so it’s going to suck,” Mayfield said.

Students will have to walk off campus in order to smoke.

But UK nurse practitioner Joanne Brown believes the ban is necessary to keep students healthy and away from the dangerous effects of tobacco. “College students don’t see themselves as smokers,” Brown said. “If I ask someone if they smoke they’ll they, ‘No not really’… They don’t realize that even just occasional smoking affects their health.”


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