FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Running for governor in a state with one of the highest smoking rates in the country, Adam Edelen on Tuesday endorsed a stateside smoking ban for most workplaces as he seeks to distinguish himself from a crowded field of challengers.
Edelen is the son of a tobacco farmer in Meade County and said he was raised to believe "Santa Claus lived in the tobacco patch." He said his plan would ban smoking at enclosed workplaces, including bars and restaurants with three or more employees. He said facilities that specialize in tobacco products and services would be exempt.
"I also understand, I think better than anybody, the cultural hold that tobacco has had on Kentucky," Edelen told reporters in a conference call announcing his plan. "But Kentuckians have got to stop being victims of our history. We've got to start building a better future."
For decades, tobacco was an important cash crop that formed a pillar of the rural state's economy. But like the coal industry, tobacco has faltered recently because of a mix of market and political forces. Now, state regulators have painted anti-smoking murals on former tobacco barns that once filled the countryside.
Kentucky often has one of the highest adult and youth smoking rates in the country. And while many school districts and local governments have smoking bans in place, efforts to pass a statewide workplace smoking ban have stalled. Tobacco companies have spent millions of dollars lobbying the state legislature, often among the top spenders for each session.
But public support for a statewide smoking ban has been growing. A 2017 poll by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky found more than seven in 10 people in Kentucky supported a statewide smoking ban, according to a telephone survey of 1,580 adults that had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
"I think one of the reasons that we've not been successful in getting this passed is we haven't had governors lead form the front on this issue," Edelen said.
Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who is running for re-election, has said smoking bans should be a local issue. But he has chosen for his running mate Republican state Sen. Ralph Alvarado, a medical doctor who has led the fight for a statewide smoking ban.
Recently, Alvarado and other lawmakers have shifted their focus to ban all tobacco products at Kentucky's public schools and school-sponsored events. Out of Kentucky's 173 school districts, 99 do not have such bans in place, according to the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
Alvarado did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Kentucky's Republican-controlled legislature raised cigarette taxes by 50 cents last year, bringing total taxes to $1.10 a pack. Lawmakers used the extra money to balance the budget, which included an increase in public education spending.
Tuesday, Edelen proposed increasing the cigarette tax to the national average of $1.70 a pack. He said he would use some of the extra money on smoking cessation programs. Edelen said he is a former smoker who quit "cold turkey" when his sons were born.
"I am not a nanny state candidate. I believe If you want to smoke you should be able to," he said. "But I also believe those who choose not to smoke those who choose to protect their health in the workplace or the health of their children have a right to a law that protects them."
Edelen is one of four Democrats running for governor this year. The others are state Attorney General Andy Beshear, state House Minority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins and former state employee Geoff Young.
On the Republican side, Bevin is seeking re-election but faces challenges from William Woods, Ike Lawrence and state Rep. Robert Goforth.
The Republican and Democratic primaries are May 21.
