Hopkinsville Mayor Dan Kemp has gone on the record in support of a citywide ordinance against smoking in most public places, but that may not bee needed of the General Assembly passes proposed legislation.

Lexington Democrat State Representative Susan Westrom has sponsored a bill banning smoking in public places, including the workplace.

Representative Westrom acknowledges the past of Kentucky being one of the tobacco capitals of the world, but says that industry is now much more global.

She says she’s even received calls from tobacco farmers supporting the ban on smoking in public, which likely wouldn’t have happened in the past.

Tennessee already has such a ban and Indiana is considering the same thing during this year’s session of the General Assembly. The American Lung Association has given Kentucky an “F” grade on tobacco control policies, saying there are not enough rules protecting citizens from the known health hazards of tobacco use.

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01/19/2012/am