Historically, Kentucky has had high rates of tobacco use and continues to hold one of the highest smoking rates among adults, nearly 20% in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Now, the state's flagship university will soon be home to a new research center focused on tobacco regulations in the commonwealth.

The University of Kentucky is launching the Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory science team, nicknamed Apple Trust.

The University will receive $19 million over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products.

The goal of Apple Trust is to investigate the impact of federal regulatory policies in rural communities.

UC's principal investigator of the award says he hopes this research will help people make better choices.

In Appalachian Kentucky.

As we know, cancer rates there are much higher than we actually are leading nationally.

And we also know, unfortunately, that combustible tobacco use is leading nationally in that area.

And we also know that controls for tobacco use unfortunately, leads to cancer.

So tobacco regulatory science really asks the question, how can we help people make better choices about the use of tobacco?

Are there ways in which people can use it that would limit their health exposure or their risk for poor health consequences or not use it at all if that's the choice they want to make?

And in particular, we're interested in this idea that Rurality can be looked at in a genius.

And what I mean by that is looking at it from a perspective that says morality is just that one blanket area, but that there are micro communities in rural areas that may have different needs and different impacts that may look might augment their decisions.

Apple Trust will focus its research in three areas of Kentucky.

Boyd counter and Greenup Carter and Greenup counties in Northeast Kentucky and a more rural group of counties in southeast Kentucky.

Breath it not Leslie Letcher and Perry.