A new poll shows one in four Kentuckians knows someone who has abuse prescription pain drugs.
The Kentucky Health Issues Poll also showed a decrease in the number of adults in the
commonwealth who were prescribed pain pills. In 2011, about half of adults had a pain pill prescription. The poll released this week shows that’s declined to one in three adults. The latest poll also shows 24 percent of Kentucky adults say they know someone who has abused prescription pain drugs, down from the 32 percent who said so in 2011. Opioids—including prescription pain pills—are the most common cause of overdose deaths. The commonwealth has the second-highest rate of drug deaths in the nation, according to a report published last
year by United Healthcare Foundation.
Kentucky recorded over 1,400 overdose deaths in 2016. The Kentucky Health Issues Poll was conducted on behalf of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the Cincinnati-based Interact for Health.
