FRANKFORT — Ohio and Kentucky are separated by only a couple hundred yards of river, but they're split by a couple hundred million dollars in their spending against smoking.

        Ohio spends $236 million a year to fight smoking. Kentucky spends $3.5 million, according to a new government report.

        That ranks Ohio first in the country in anti-smoking spending and Kentucky 36th, according to a Centers for Disease Control report released Thursday.

        The report indicated that Kentucky ranks high — second behind Nevada — in the nation in percentage of smokers and rate of smoking-related deaths.

        Indiana ranks sixth in the country in anti-smoking spending, with $36.4 million budgeted.

        The CDC's State Tobacco Control Highlights report also said 29.7 percent of Kentucky adults are smokers, second only to 31.5 percent in Nevada. Kentucky also is second in number of deaths annually from smoking with 444 per 100,000.

        Kentucky's commissioner of public health said Friday that without adults setting an example, Kentucky will continue to contend with smoking-related health problems.

        “Public heath departments are doing what they can ...” Dr. Rice Leach said. “But we need the parents and grandparents to set an example and help if we are going to change the trend of young people smoking.”

        In the Tristate, Cincinnati has led the way in setting an example. In 1985, it was the second city in the Midwest — after Minneapolis — to pass an ordinance restricting smoking in public.

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