Drug deaths drop in Kentucky, but fentanyl still rages

BY MARK PAYNE | LINK nky REPORTER

The number of drug overdose deaths dropped in Kentucky last year, according to the most recent report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. But deaths from fentanyl and methamphetamine still remain high.

Experts in NKY report that fentanyl and methamphetamine are what they see the most, too.

According to the report, 2,135 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses in 2022. That number is down from 2,250 in 2021 but up from 1,964 in 2020.

“So many have been lost, including children, parents, aunts and uncles, even grandparents, each one deeply loved, and each one mourned by their communities,” said Gov. Andy Beshear when announcing the report in mid-June.

Most of the deaths occurred from fentanyl, with 1,548 succumbing to a fentanyl overdose – 72.5% of 2022 drug deaths. In 2021, 1,652 Kentuckians died from fentanyl.

“Seventy percent of all overdose deaths in the United States, over 70% of all overdose deaths in Kentucky are caused by this scourge,” said Van Ingram, the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy executive director.

Kenton County Coroner Amber Constantino said that what the state sees is consistent with what her office sees in the state’s third-largest county.

“In Kenton County, fentanyl is positive in toxes (short for toxicology screens) eight out of 10 times,” Constantino said.

Kenton has the third-highest number among counties in the state, with fentanyl overdose deaths at 57 of 65. Jefferson County, the largest county in the state, had 419 fentanyl deaths. Fayette, the second-largest county, had 137.

Beshear said that the Kentucky State Police seized more than 13,000 doses of fentanyl.

Constantino said that when her office conducts toxicology screens, there are other drugs, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, present.

Methamphetamine was second on the list, with 1,069 overdose deaths statewide in 2022.

“The two main drugs that we’re encountering are fentanyl and methamphetamine, and the big change that we’ve seen over the last year, year-and-a-half, is a switch to counterfeit pills,” said Scott Hardcorn, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force.

Ingram reiterated this in the press conference with Beshear.

“It’s not bad enough that we have fentanyl – we have fentanyl disguised as everything else,” Ingram said. “It’s disguised as a legitimate prescription drug – Percocet, Xanax, Adderall – all drugs are being presented as pharmaceuticals, but really fentanyl is the active ingredient.”

A bill that legalized fentanyl test strips passed the Kentucky Legislature in the waning hours of the 2023 legislative session and was sponsored by NKY legislator Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill. The strips allow drug users to test for the presence of chemicals, toxic substances or hazardous compounds in controlled substances. Before they were legalized, drug testing strips were classified under the umbrella of drug paraphernalia, and possession of them was a crime leading to a Class A misdemeanor.

“With Kentucky experiencing record rates of drug overdoses and those suffering from substance abuse disorder, we must do everything we can to help lessen these numbers,” Moser said at the time.

Further, the state is expected to spend about $80.6 million through the Office of Drug Control Policy to support addiction treatment and prevention efforts. The commonwealth has also increased treatment beds by about 50%.