Kentucky saw a 49 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in 2020, with a total of 1,964. There were 498 more deaths last year than in 2017 when Kentucky hit a record high.
“In addition to the stress caused by the pandemic, we believe the increase in overdose deaths for 2020 is due to a rise in illicit fentanyl and its analogues within the drug supply. The problem is also exacerbated by the widespread availability of potent, inexpensive methamphetamine,” Van Ingram, Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, said in a news release.
Read more in The Times Tribune.