FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Drug overdose deaths in Kentucky fell nearly 10% in 2023, marking a second straight annual decline in the fight against an addiction epidemic that is far from over, governor says. Andy Beshear said Thursday.
The number of fatal overdoses statewide fell below 2,000 as officials recognized a comprehensive response that includes treatment and prevention, as well as seizures of illegal drugs by law enforcement.
“Even as we celebrate progress, there is much heartbreak and pain because of this ongoing epidemic,” the Democratic governor said during a ceremony at the statehouse.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell — who has sent large amounts of federal funding to his home state to combat addiction problems — said the report is “a reason for hope.” The substance abuse crisis affected “communities in every zip code across the country,” with Kentucky among the hardest hit, he said.
“We still have a lot of work to do in the Commonwealth, and we must stop the flow of drugs at our southern border, and I will continue to fight to ensure that Kentucky remains at the forefront of our national response,” McConnell said. said in a statement Thursday.
According to the 2023 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, a total of 1,984 Kentuckians died from a drug overdose last year, a 9.8% decrease from the previous year. Fentanyl – a powerful synthetic opioid – remained the biggest culprit, responsible for 79% of overdose deaths in 2023, the report said.
“If we can ever get a handle on that, I think the success we could have is incredible,” said Van Ingram, executive director of the state Office of Drug Control Policy.
Kentucky’s Republican-dominated Legislature this year passed a sweeping measure aimed at fighting crime. A key component addressed the prevalence of fentanyl by introducing harsher penalties when its distribution results in fatal overdoses
Methamphetamine use was another key factor in fatal overdoses.
Among various age groups, the highest number of overdose deaths last year was among Kentuckians in the 35- to 44-year-old group, at 571, a 13% decrease from 2022, the report said.
One concerning trend is the increased number of overdose deaths among Black people in the state, Beshear said. The latest report showed a 5% increase, compared to the 22% increase in last year’s report, he said.
“We are committed to working with community partners and leaders to reverse this trend, and we will use recently received grants to increase education and outreach efforts,” he said.
In 2022, Kentucky’s overall drug overdose deaths decreased 5% from the previous year. It marked the first decline since 2018.
Nationally, about 107,500 people died of overdoses in the U.S. last year, including both U.S. citizens and noncitizens in the country at the time they died, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated. That’s down 3% from 2022, when there were an estimated 111,000 such deaths, the agency said.
In Kentucky, 160,000 doses of Narcan — the drug that can save a person’s life during an opioid overdose — were distributed last year, Ingram said, adding that he hopes even more doses will be in circulation this year.
Ingram praised state lawmakers’ funding for substance abuse treatment and prevention. Kentucky leads nationally in the number of residential drug and alcohol treatment beds per capita, Beshear said. The governor also pointed to the state’s Treatment Access Program, which allows people without health insurance to receive residential treatment.
“The ability to pay is no longer an obstacle to treatment,” Beshear said. “We can get to any Kentuckian who needs help with treatment almost immediately.”
Several leaders from addiction treatment agencies attended Thursday’s state ceremony. The governor praised Kentuckians involved in grassroots efforts to fight addiction.
“Your struggle for the inches that become the feet that become the miles of progress saves lives,” he said.
The 2023 Kentucky Overdose Fatality Report was compiled by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, using data from the Office of Vital Statistics, the Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Kentucky coroners. These numbers are subject to change, the governor’s office said.
