(LEX 18) — For the second year in a row, Kentucky saw a decline in overdose deaths. According to the 2023 Drug Overdose Fatality Report, in 2023, there was a 9.8% decrease in overdose deaths from 2022. However, 1,984 Kentuckians lost their lives to a drug overdose, showing that the problem is still significant.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman believes the drug crisis is the greatest threat we face.
"The reality is this is the greatest threat to my family and yours," he told LEX 18 in a sit-down interview.
"As a dad, it scares me to death," he added. "Because we exist in an environment where as little as one pill can and is killing our neighbors, killing our kids."
Coleman emphasized that "one pill can kill." According to the 2023 report, fentanyl was found in 79.1% of people who died in a drug overdose, and methamphetamine was found in 55.2% of people who died in a drug overdose.
"Our office prosecuted cases where one pill a child bought that was a Xanax - looked just like a Xanax - and in fact, was pressed fentanyl," Coleman said.
"Fentanyl and some of these synthetic substances that are so much more powerful than even heroin," he added.
To combat the drug crisis, Coleman believes in a three-pronged approach: enforcement, treatment, and prevention.
While Kentucky is doing a good job on enforcement and treatment, Coleman believes the state is lacking on prevention.
So, last week, he asked the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission for $3.6 million for a new statewide addiction prevention campaign, which will be centered on Kentucky's youth.
According to Coleman's Office, the campaign, which is called “Better Without It,” "will feature data-driven outreach to engage with young Kentuckians where they are."
This means the campaign will focus on social media, streaming platforms, college campuses, and partnerships with influencers. The goal is to engage 13–26-year-olds through positive, Kentucky-focused messages and encourage them to make positive choices and realize their full potential.
Coleman explained that while some older people may not necessarily understand this pivot, it's okay, as they are not the target audience. The goal is to prevent young people in Kentucky from drug use. He said using influencers - and even Kentucky figures like athletes - is more effective because these figures resonate better with young people, according to data.
"We're doing this innovatively - from NIL to influencers to the use of video game technology," Coleman said.
"We had to do what worked," he added. "And as much as my default, as a parent as well as a prosecutor, is to pound that podium and say 'one pill can kill, don't do this' - that is my knee jerk reaction and I'll still do that - but the data says we have to be innovative."
Using partnerships with influencers and athletes, video games, and more will allow Kentucky to micro-target young people across the state. This will ensure that more people are reached through a message that resonates with them.
"This is reaching a whole new generation and going to where they are using a totally different medium," said Coleman.
"What technology allows us to do is narrowly target regions," Coleman added. "Some of these influencers may have a greater following in southeastern Kentucky than they would in western Kentucky. We're going to identify these influencers and leverage. We're going to let youth speak to other youth."
The prevention program will also promote existing school-based programs and amplify the work of the Commission to support youth-focused prevention efforts.
