Kentucky Attorney General presents prevention plan to combat drug addiction

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman unveiled plans Tuesday to launch a statewide drug prevention program, saying the youth-focused initiative would fill a gap in the Bluegrass State's fight against an addiction epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives.

Coleman presented the details of the plan to a state commission, which unanimously approved his request for a $3.6 million investment over two years to implement it.

“With over a million people under the age of 18 in Kentucky, we will use every dollar wisely,” Coleman said. “Our parents and grandparents taught us that prevention is better than cure. I firmly believe this initiative lives up to that age-old principle.”

Drug abuse is a deadly plague in Kentucky, although it Signs of progress in counterattack.

A total of 1,984 Kentucky residents died of drug overdoses last year, down 9.8% from the previous year, Governor Andy Beshear announced in June, citing an annual report. Fentanyl – a powerful synthetic opioid – remained the main culprit, accounting for 79% of overdose deaths in 2023, according to the report.

While officials acknowledged that the fight against drug abuse is far from over, they attributed recent successes to increased efforts to treat addiction and police seizures of illegal drugs.

Creating a nationwide prevention initiative aimed at keeping young people away from deadly substances will fill a “gaping gap” in the fight against the drug threat, the Republican attorney general said.

“We live in a time where a single fentanyl pill can and does kill our fellow human beings,” Coleman added. “We live in a time where there is no margin for error and where there is no longer any safe experimentation with drugs.”

He said the campaign, called “Better Without It,” will spread its message to young people through social media and streaming platforms, on college campuses and through partnerships with influencers. The initiative will also promote school-based programs.

Coleman presented the comprehensive prevention plan of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission in Frankfort, which is responsible for distributing Kentucky's share of the nearly $900 million won in settlements with opioid companies.

Half of Kentucky's compensation goes directly to cities and counties. The commission oversees half of the state amount and has so far distributed more than $55 million to combat the drug crisis.

Beshear, a Democrat, said Kentucky leads the nation in the number of inpatient drug and alcohol treatment places per capita. In Washington, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell has channeled huge amounts of federal funding to his home state to combat addiction problems there.

Kentucky's Republican-dominated legislature passed a sweeping crime-fighting bill this year, with a key section targeting the distribution of fentanyl and providing tougher penalties if its distribution leads to fatal overdoses.