By Seth Austin
KENTUCKY (WEHT) – Governor Andy Beshear released the 2022 Overdose Fatality Report on Thursday. The report says 2,135 Kentuckians lost their lives to a drug overdose last year, a decline of more than 5% compared to the previous year, and the first decline since 2018.
The report indicates that 90% of overdose deaths involved opioids, and fentanyl continues to be the most prevalent drug contributing to those deaths. According to a release from Governor Beshear, the number of treatment beds in the community has increased by 50% since he took office, and he has secured the largest ever of corrections-based addition treatment beds.
“Seeing a decrease in overdose deaths is encouraging, but we still have a long way to go, because one Kentucky life lost to overdose is one too many,” said Beshear. “As your Governor, I will work every day to improve access to treatment and programs to help those fighting this disease to win while also providing Kentucky’s law enforcement with more resources to get these dangerous drugs off our streets.”