Various issues related to problems with opiate addiction in Kentucky have been highlighted in a central Kentucky community forum. A packed room listened to a panel discussion Monday at the “Bluegrass Forum on Opiate Use Disorders: A Time for Community Action.” Participants were told four Kentuckians, on average, die every day from overdoses.
Lexington Assistant Police Chief Lawrence Weathers says the spicket can be turned off through prevention, education, and treatment. The chief says accountability in treatment is important, “When we come across people who have addiction issues and we save them from overdose, we’ve got to put them in treatment programs that actually work.”
Fire Captain Les Fryman says the use of Naloxone to reverse the effects of an overdose remains the key to saving lives. He says the size of the dose to stabilize such patients has increased along with a big jump in the cost of Narcan, the brand name version for the drug.
