Kentucky
Only tobacco and menthol vapes are legal to buy in Kentucky. Can flavored vapes be bought online?
What are vaping restrictions in Kentucky?
Kentucky implemented significant restrictions on vaping products available for sale in the commonwealth on Jan. 1, 2025.
Many Kentuckians may be affected by the new vape ban that took effect Jan. 1, 2025. Only a select number of vape products that are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration are legal to purchase in the state.
For Kentuckians who use tobacco products, here’s what products are legal to purchase in the state, which ones aren’t and what resources are available if you’re looking into quitting.
There are 34 e-cigarette products authorized by the FDA, but they are only tobacco and menthol flavored. You will no longer find any fruit or candy flavored vapes at retailers in Kentucky.
Below is the PDF detailing exactly which vapes are authorized by the FDA and therefore legal to purchase in Kentucky.
There are no safe tobacco products, according to the FDA, and that is why there are no tobacco products that are approved by the FDA, only authorized.
“While these products are authorized to be sold in the U.S., it does not mean these products are safe nor are they ‘FDA approved,’” the document reads. “All tobacco products are harmful and potentially addictive. Those who do not use tobacco products shouldn’t start.”
The answer is likely maybe. It is unlikely that Kentucky residents will be able to purchase unauthorized vapes from online retailers, unless those retailers are located out of state.
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates vape products at the federal level and would be responsible for addressing out of state manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers,” Information Officer for the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet Ricki Gardenhire told the Courier-Journal. “In state, House Bill 11 does not create separate treatment for online sellers and in person sellers. Unauthorized vape products cannot be sold to individuals and wholesalers cannot provide unauthorized products to retailers.”
However, retailers are the ones being penalized, not Kentucky residents who are of the legal age to purchase them trying to buy them.
“There are no penalties for individual purchasers in state statutes as HB 11 regulates industry members, not individual consumers,” Gardenhire said.
If you or someone you know is interested in quitting tobacco, Kentucky has free resources to help.
Quit Now Kentucky is recommended by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services for people of all ages who want to quit tobacco.
“Quit Now Kentucky offers confidential, one-on-one coaching for Kentuckians who want to quit tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, dip and chew,” the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services said on their website.
Some people may even be eligible for free nicotine replacement therapy like nicotine patches, gum or lozenges.
Quit Now Kentucky is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Coaching is available by phone or online chat in English, Spanish and many other languages.
Kentucky residents can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit quitnowkentucky.org for resources and tools for quitting tobacco.
The fact sheet below details more about the services Quit Now Kentucky offers.
Even though you must be age 21 to purchase tobacco products in Kentucky, there are still teenagers who obtain and use tobacco. My Life My Quit is another resource in Kentucky that specializes in helping those who are 17 and younger quit tobacco.
My Life My Quit can be reached at (855) 891-9989 or by texting START MY QUIT to 36072. You can also visit their website at mo.mylifemyquit.org.
Katie Wiseman is a trending news reporter on Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman or Bluesky @katiewiseman
Kentucky
Virginia woman arrested 30 years after newborn was found in a Kentucky landfill
More than three decades after a newborn’s remains were discovered in a Kentucky landfill, investigators say advances in forensic science have finally led to an arrest.
Jennifer Cummins of Fairfax County, Virginia, was taken into custody on January 6 in connection with the death of an infant known for decades only as “Baby Jane Doe,” Kentucky State Police announced this week.
The case dates to 1991, when a sanitation worker discovered the remains of a baby girl at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University.
Despite early investigative efforts, authorities were unable to identify the baby or determine who was responsible, and the case eventually went cold.
Kentucky State Police detectives recently reopened the investigation using modern forensic tools and updated investigative techniques. With assistance from the State Medical Examiner, it was determined that the infant was born alive and healthy before being placed in a dumpster on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
The new information ultimately identified Cummins as a person of interest. In late 2025, the case was presented to a Madison County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Cummins with murder.
“Even after decades of time that has passed, with the collaboration of new technologies, advancements, and persistence, we’ve been able to discover new leads in this case,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney. “That’s why it’s so important for people to know these cases never go cold to us.”
Authorities have not released details about Cummins’ relationship to the child or the specific circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
Kentucky State Police say the investigation remains active, and that investigators say they are still seeking the public’s help to resolve some unanswered questions.
Cummins is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky.
Kentucky
Kentucky Transfer WR Hardley Gilmore IV Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Montavin Quisenberry isn’t the only former Kentucky wide receiver to switch out blue for red this offseason.
Hardley Gilmore IV announced Thursday that he has committed to the Louisville football program.
He’s the fifth Wildcat to transfer to the Cardinals in this cycle, following Quisenberry, who committed earlier in the day, cornerback D.J. Waller plus defensive ends Jerod Smith II and Jacob Smith.
Gilmore is also the 11th portal pickup for UofL in the last three days, and their 15th transfer commitment overall in this cycle, beginning to offset 23 portal defections that UofL has seen so far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up this past Friday, and is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.
Despite Kentucky’s instability at quarterback this past season, Gilmore put together a productive 2025 campaign. Playing in all 12 games while starting five, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound receiver caught 28 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown. His reception and yardage total was second on the team to Kendrick Law.
The Belle Glade, Fla. native got immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2024. Appearing in seven games, Gilmore was able to haul in six passes for 153 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown vs. Murray State.
While Gilmore has shown high end potential on the field, he comes with some off-the-field baggage from last offseason. Last January after opting to transfer to Nebraska following his true freshman season, he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching someone in the face at a storage facility in Lexington. Then this past April, he was dismissed from the Huskers for unknown reasons, and wound up returning to Kentucky.
“Nothing outside the program, nothing criminal or anything like that,” Huskers head coach Matt Rhule said at the time regarding Gilmore’s dismissal. “Just won’t be with us anymore.”
Gilmore and Quisenberry are the first of likely multiple transfer pieces that Louisville will add to their wide receiver room. Between graduation and the portal, the Cardinals are losing six receivers – including Chris Bell & Caullin Lacy.
In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.
More Cardinals Stories
(Photo of Hardley Gilmore IV: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
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Kentucky
Spotted lanternfly confirmed in 8 new Kentucky counties. About invasive insect
Spotted lanternflies congregate on grapevines
This undated video provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture shows adult spotted lanternflies on grapevines in Berks County.
PROVIDED BY PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, PROVIDED BY PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Entomologists have confirmed spotted lanternflies in eight more counties in Kentucky during 2025, according to a recent announcement.
These include Fayette, Franklin, Harrison, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Trimble and Woodford. The invasive insect was first found in the commonwealth in October 2023, in Gallatin County, and spread to counties including Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Grant, Henry, Kenton and Owen in 2024.
Here’s what to know.
What is a spotted lanternfly?
In short, the spotted lanternfly is a moth-like bug that’s not supposed to be in the U.S. The bugs tend to be red with black and/or white spots on their wings, according to the Department of Agriculture.
They’re native to China and first showed up in the U.S. in 2014. They’ve mostly been found in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the USDA reports, but they’ve also been found in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.
One of the things that makes them so risky as an invasive species is that the eggs are thought to travel well, on everything from packages being shipped to moving boxes on U-Hauls.
Why are spotted lanternflies dangerous?
Spotted lanternflies can pose a major threat to the things such as orchards, vineyards and logging facilities. How? They tend to swarm and devour what they land on quickly, causing serious damage.
Their “waste product” — known as “honeydew” — can also attract molds and other bugs that further damage plants.
They pose a threat, according to the USDA, to everything from almonds, apples and hops to maple, oak and pine trees and more.
Is the spotted lanternfly in Kentucky?
Yes. The Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist said in a post to Facebook that the spotted lanternfly was confirmed in eight new commonwealth counties during 2025.
The species has been located in 16 counties total — Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Trimble and Woodford.
What to do about spotted lanternflies
The biggest thing you can do, according to the USDA, to help control the spread of the spotted lanternfly is to keep an eye out for them.
It is recommended that you inspect trees, plants and other surfaces on your property for bugs. It’s best to do that around dusk, the USDA says, because that’s when bugs tend to congregate, making them easier to spot.
Signs that a plant may be infected include the plant oozing, becoming moldy or developing a fermented odor, according to the USDA. You may also see a “buildup of sticky fluid” beneath the infected plant.
The agency also recommends you keep an eye out for egg masses on everything from plants to boxes that hold things such as holiday decorations and often sit unattended for much of the year. If you spot an egg mass, you should scrape it “into a plastic zippered bag filled with hand sanitizer, then zip the bag shut and dispose of it,” according to the USDA.
In Kentucky, you should report sightings to your Department of Forestry regional office or reach the UK at 859-257-7597 or forestry.extension@uky.edu. UK experts also ask that anyone who finds one send a picture with the location to reportapest@uky.edu.
Contributing: Mary Ramsey, The Courier Journal. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
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