Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear was among several honorees at the Kentucky Center for Smoke Free Policy’s annual conference Thursday. WUKY’s Chase Cavanaugh has more.
The governor was given the Lee T. Todd Jr. Smoke Free Hero Award for his passage of an executive order that banned tobacco use in and around state buildings and vehicles. In accepting the honor, Mr. Beshear recognized local communities for their anti-smoking efforts, calling their contributions invaluable.
"You are the reason that we were able to get as far at the statewide level this year as we did, because you are showing the rest of Kentucky that not only is this good for your health, to have a smoke-free city or smoke-free county, it's good for business," he said.
These municipalities, recognized in separate awards, include the cities of Berea, Midway, Owensboro, Richmond, and Versailles, as well as Woodford County Fiscal Court. A law firm, Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP, was also recognized for its legal counsel, which dates back to work on Lexington's smoke-free ordinance in 2003.
Approximately 100 people attended the all-day conference.
