skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Lawmakers File Anti-Tobacco, Vaping Bills for 2020 Session

play audio
Play

Friday, December 13, 2019   

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Concern over the growing use of electronic cigarettes and tobacco products among young people in the Commonwealth has spurred lawmakers to pre-file bills for the 2020 legislative session aimed at making it more difficult for teens to get them.

The bills would raise the legal age for buying all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21, and would ban the sale of flavors in e-cigarettes.

Kristy Young, Kentucky government relations director for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network says public outcry has put pressure on legislators.

"I would say that folks can reach out to their lawmakers, because lawmakers can help make a significant impact in terms of addressing the tobacco epidemic that we have on our hands in Kentucky," says Young.

Some 43% of young adults in Kentucky tried e-cigarettes last year, according to the Kentucky Health Issues Poll, and the CDC says one in four Kentucky high school students uses some form of tobacco.

The bill requests were filed this week by State Sen. Ralph Alvarado of Winchester, and Rep. Buddy Wheatley of Covington, both Republicans.

Lorri Malone is the director of communications for the American Cancer Society in Kentucky. She says now is the time to urge lawmakers to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs, adding that it's never too late to quit smoking or vaping.

"You don't have to quit smoking in one day,” says Malone. “But we do know that when you quit smoking, your body immediately begins to recover. Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure will drop."

Kentucky spends nearly $2 billion each year on healthcare costs related to smoking, according to the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021