LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky cities can now help fight the increasing opioid crisis with new funding headed to communities around the state.

What You Need To Know

  • Groups in Lexington hope to address the opioid issue, as it affects specific groups more than others

  • The abatement programs include resources for people dealing with addiction and its effects, as well as expungement of certain criminal records

  • The funding comes from a settlement reached last year by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron with opioid companies

Lexington is among the cities leading the charge in helping end the opioid epidemic that leaders say is affecting Black community in alarming numbers. 

The commission, formed by the general assembly in house bill 427, comprises nine members, two of whom are non-voting and one member who is African American. 

Overdose and fentanyl poisoning is currently affecting African Americans at higher rates than others, doubling the mortality rate since 2016, according to the University of Kentucky.

It’s why many support the programs and advocate for more people of color to help lead them. 

“Education is a deep need in the community, education for the fact that this really is an issue,” Lexington Fayette county urban city Council woman Denise Gray said. She’s helping bring these efforts to Lexington. 

Dedicated researchers, health experts and testimonies from community members helped bring awareness toward how dangerous opioid abuse is. Groups like the University of Kentucky’s Refocus team are among those studying its direct impact. They are introducing impactful tools like Narcan usage and other ways to help those dealing with the epidemic.

Their purpose is to support and learn alongside those in the African American community. Refocus research assistant Mona Goggins said systematic implications can contribute to the issue for Black people. 

“When people go to the doctor for pain—and it’s studied that doctors don’t prescribe Black people with those prescriptions—they’ll go to the streets to get it. And then they get into varying doses of opioids with the pills they’re taking,” Goggins explained.

The all-Black lab takes a deeper look at the reality of drug misuse and how to help. They explained how simple it can be for people to get drugs from their home or even right from the streets. 

“I don’t think we’re talking about it. I think that the problem with opioids has been around for a while, but with the rise in fentanyl and with the creation of fentanyl on the streets, a lot of the pills that people take of the streets are laced with fentanyl so dealers can raise their supply,” Goggins said. 

The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission will help distribute nearly $842,000,000 for opioid-related programs.

The commission includes members with backgrounds in prevention and treatment services, law and justice, as well as both survivors and victims of the epidemic.

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