Overdose Deaths Decline for Second-Straight Year In Kentucky

Kentucky’s 2023 Overdose Fatality Report released

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 6, 2024) – Gov. Andy Beshear announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth have decreased for the second year in a row, with 2023 seeing a 9.8% decrease compared with the previous year. 

According to the 2023 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, 1,984 Kentuckians lost their lives last year to a drug overdose. Fentanyl accounted for 79.1%, and methamphetamine accounted for 55.2% of overdose deaths. The two continue to be the most prevalent drugs contributing to overdoses in the state. The report also indicates that 35- to 44-year-olds had the highest number of drug overdose deaths in 2023, at 571, which was a decrease of 13.4% from 2022.

Today’s report continues Kentucky’s trend in declining overdose deaths. In 2022, Kentucky’s drug overdose deaths declined by 5% compared with 2021, marking the first decline since 2018. Kentucky was one of only eight states to see a decrease in overdose deaths while the nation saw a slight increase.

“By working together, we have decreased the amount of drug overdose deaths in Kentucky, yet still far too many lives have been lost, and we still have a long way to go,” said Gov. Beshear. “From the far west to the far east of the commonwealth, we are creating a home where fewer children will know the pain of addiction and loss of a loved one to an overdose. We have remained committed to helping our families overcome addiction and celebrate our progress and renew that commitment today.” 

The Governor added that while the state saw a smaller increase in this report, there continues to be a concerning trend of increased overdose deaths among Black Kentuckians. The latest report shows that increase has slowed by increasing 5% compared with 22% in the last report.

“This increase is concerning, despite it being smaller than previous years,” Gov. Beshear said. “We are committed to working with community partners and leaders to reverse this trend, and we are going to use recently received grant funding to increase education and outreach efforts.”

“We have made great progress this past year in providing treatment resources to more Kentuckians in different parts of the commonwealth,” Office of Drug Control Policy Executive Director Van Ingram said. “In 2023, 160,000 doses of Narcan were distributed, 3,920 calls were made to the KY HELP Call Center and 35,918 individuals utilized the 84 syringe service program sites. While all of this is cause for celebration, we must take a moment to grieve those lost and, in their names, keep working harder and being diligent in our approach, so we save more Kentuckians and their families.”

Several leaders from addiction treatment agencies joined the Governor for today’s announcement to speak about Kentucky’s intentional work to address addiction and offer more treatment services. 

“The Recovery Ready Communities process afforded Northern Kentucky the opportunity to evaluate its recovery-oriented system of care, while also celebrating the many successful initiatives and life-saving strategies implemented through partnerships,” Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy Director Amanda Peters said. “As the first region in the commonwealth to receive this designation, it validates our coordinated response. We will continue to use this collaborative approach because every loss of life reminds us that there is more work to be done.” 

“Across the commonwealth, Kentuckians have put into practice numerous, evidence-based interventions that have proven to save lives and help people achieve recovery,” said Commissioner Katherine Marks of the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. “These outcomes demonstrate where progress has been made and sharpens our ongoing commitment to healing all individual lives, families and communities.” 
“At People Advocating Recovery, we know that initiating recovery can be extremely challenging,” said People Advocating Recovery CEO Tara Hyde. “Today’s milestone highlights the impact of the recovery movement and the crucial collaboration between local and state agencies and underscores the power of unified efforts in fostering more Kentuckians to achieve long-term recovery. We remain committed to ensuring every Kentuckian has access to resources on their path to wellness, because one life lost is one too many for our community.”

The Director of Pharmacy Public Health Programs, Dr. Jody Jaggers, with the Kentucky Pharmacy Education and Research Foundation said Kentucky recently launched a new website to help Kentuckians find places to obtain the life-saving drug Narcan, which is used to reverse opioid overdose. Those seeking Narcan can visit FindNaloxoneNowKY.org to find a location near them that can provide the drug at no cost.