The Disturbing Truth About Drug Overdose Deaths In Kentucky

The opioid epidemic and an uptick in addiction and drug overdose fatalities is a problem in every U.S. state, according to a 2022 report from the American Medical Association (AMA). Worsening the crisis is the prevalence of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to twice as powerful as morphine, as the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes. From March 2020 to March 2021, for example, nearly 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose, and that number was up 30% year-over-year, as the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics explains. Moreover, almost three-quarters of all opioid deaths involve opioids, and roughly 1 million Americans have died from a drug overdose since the year 1999. 

A number of social and economic factors influence the opioid issue, such as high rates of poverty, fewer educational opportunities, flagging infrastructure investment, and overall economic stagnation and unemployment, worsened somewhat by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As previously mentioned, though, nowhere in the U.S. is immune to the opioid and fentanyl issue. Reported opioid deaths more than doubled all across the U.S. from 2015 through February 2022, as provisional data from the CDC notes. As the NIH goes on to report, rural areas in the U.S. are especially hard hit by the opioid crisis, including large portions of the American South in states like Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi, and others. One place where the opioid epidemic is particularly prevalent is in the state of Kentucky, as data from the CDC in the graph below illustrates.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

According to CDC National Center for Health Statistics data, overdose deaths in Kentucky have shot up since September 2019, reaching a high of nearly 54 Kentuckians dying from a drug overdose as of July 2022. According to a University of Kentucky report, Black citizens in this southern state were particularly hard hit by the problem, as overdose deaths jumped 117% among Kentucky's Black population from 2016 through 2020. Per World Population Review, some 8% of Kentucky's population was Black as of 2022. Also, according to provisional data from the CDC, though increasing, overdose deaths in Kentucky were not the worst among neighboring states as of February 2022, with a 26.36% increase over the prior year reflected in Alabama during that same time frame. 

Also notable, Ohio was the only state bordering Kentucky to have a slight decrease in overdose deaths, according to those same numbers from the CDC. Also mirroring the trend nationwide, some three-quarters — or 73% — of drug overdose fatalities in Kentucky involved fentanyl, based on reporting from U.S. News & World Report. As the outlet also notes, many Kentuckians discontinued drug use treatment during the pandemic over safety. On the issue, Kentuck Governor Andy Beshear said in a press release (via U.S. News & World Report) "Every day we must work together to fund recovery programs and treatment options so that we can continue to address this scourge and get our people the help they need," including the establishment of so-called "Recovery Ready Communities."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).