FRANKFORT, Ky. — Overdose deaths in Kentucky continue to drop, with a 9.8% decrease in 2023, said Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky. 

According to the 2023 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, 1,984 Kentuckians died from a drug overdose last year. This continues the state’s trend of declining overdose deaths; in 2022, overdose deaths declined by 5% compared with 2021, marking the first decline since 2018. Kentucky was also one of eight states with a decline in overdose deaths. 

Beshear acknowledged the state’s progress but said a concerning trend is increased overdose deaths among Black Kentuckians. The report shows death rates slowed by 5%, compared to 22% in the last report. 

“We are committed to working with community partners and leaders to reverse this trend, and we are going to use recently received grant funding to increase education and outreach efforts,” the governor said.

The report said fentanyl was responsible for 79.1% of overdose deaths while methamphetamine caused 55.2% of the deaths, with the two drugs being the most prevalent for overdose deaths in the state. It added 35- to 44-year-olds had the most drug overdose deaths in 2023 at 571.

“By working together, we have decreased the amount of drug overdose deaths in Kentucky,” Beshear said. “Yet still far too many lives have been lost, and we still have a long way to go. From the far west to the far east of the commonwealth, we are creating a home where fewer children will know the pain of addiction and loss of a loved one to an overdose.”

A new website, FindNaloxoneNowKY.org, allows Kentuckians to find places to get the lifesaving drug Narcan for free. The drug is used to reverse opioid overdose. 

“Naloxone—an FDA-approved opioid overdose reversal medication—continues to be one of our most important tools for saving the lives of individuals experiencing an overdose,” said Jody Jaggers, director of pharmacy public health programs with the Kentucky Pharmacy Education and Research Foundation. “While we celebrate the reduction in overdose deaths for the second consecutive year, we also acknowledge there are still far too many Kentuckians lost to this preventable tragedy.”

The report follows Beshear’s recent announcement that Kentucky’s Counterdrug Program helped support the seizure of over 265,000 fentanyl pills during the 2023 federal fiscal year. Beshear’s office said the group also helped seize 822 pounds of methamphetamine and over 310 pounds of cocaine, made 164 arrests possible and arranged the surrender of more than $2.3 million in cash linked to illegal drug activity in 2023.

Beshear also recently signed the 2025 State Drug Interdiction and Counterdrug Activities Plan, helping further this work.

Those needing treatment help can call the KY Help Call Center at 833-859-4357 to speak one-on-one with a specialist.