Beshear celebrates 4 straight years of declining overdose deaths

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Andy Beshear says the Commonwealth has now reached four straight years of declines in overdose deaths.

According to a release by the governor’s office, addiction services through Medicaid, the Opioid Response Effort, Narcan distribution, grant funding, addiction treatment organizations, recovery ready communities, reentry services and efforts by the Kentucky State Police have helped lead to this result.

“My administration is fighting for the inches that become the miles of progress to save more lives and protect more families from the heartbreak and pain that comes with addiction,” said Gov. Beshear. “Kentucky has been one of the states hit hardest by opioids, yet we are showing the nation what’s possible by working together. From Medicaid to supporting our recovery partners, law enforcement and more, every piece of this fight is critical to continue the progress we’re making together.”

Beshear attributed the state’s progress to the following efforts:

• More than $29 million was distributed in grant and pass-through funding from the Office of Drug Control Policy
• 182,810 doses of Narcan were distributed
• 82 syringe exchange program sites served 25,543 unique participants
• More than 137,000 Kentuckians received addiction services through Medicaid
• More than 19,100 Kentuckians received addiction treatment paid for by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort
• More than 29,900 Kentuckians received recovery services (housing assistance, employment services, transportation, basic need services, etc.) in their community paid for by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort
• 23 Kentuckians sought treatment through the Kentucky State Police Angel Initiative
• 3,005 incoming calls were made to the KY HELP Call Center with 19,138 outgoing follow-up calls
• More than 52,800 school-age students participated in substance use prevention curriculum supported by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort
• In November of last year, the Governor took action to classify 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I narcotic, making it illegal to sell, possess or distribute any isolated or concentrated forms of the form of kratom in the state. This followed Gov. Beshear’s similar move to schedule bromazolam, or “designer Xanax,” as a Schedule I narcotic. These actions give Kentucky law enforcement the ability to make arrests for sales or possession
• In September 2025, Gov. Beshear awarded more than $1.4 million in federal grant funding to nine state and local agencies to fight drug trafficking through the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
• Recovery Ready Communities

Last year, KSP also helped 15 Kentuckians through the Angel Initiative, a program that offers those struggling with addiction a way to connect to recovery resources with no questions asked. This program is available at all 16 KSP posts located throughout the Commonwealth. To learn more, click here.

To view the 2025 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, click here.