• Fatal and nonfatal overdoses in Louisville down from last year’s record highs

    By Joe Sonka | Posted on December 4, 2018

    Both fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses in Louisville have significantly fallen in the first three quarters of this year compared with the record highs set in 2017, according to Insider Louisville’s review of records from the Jefferson County Coroner’s office and Louisville Emergency Medical...

  • Kentucky gets more flexibility to tackle opioid problem

    By Darla Carter | Posted on November 5, 2018

    Federal government gives Kentucky more flexibility to tackle the state's drug problem. State will provide increased access to care and enhanced benefits for people on Medicaid.

  • Panel on addiction warns of toxic drug combinations like meth laced with fentanyl

    By Darla Carter | Posted on September 3, 2018

    Dangerous drug combinations, such as methamphetamine laced with fentanyl, were discussed at a recent event to call attention to the impact of substance use on women.

  • New pilot project to divert more opioid addicts from jail and into treatment

    By Joe Sonka | Posted on August 22, 2018

    Louisville will soon launch a new pilot program to divert individuals addicted to opioids away from the criminal justice system and into treatment thanks to a $400,000 federal grant. This will be the state’s first Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. The program first...

  • Fatal overdoses in Kentucky rose 11.5 percent in 2017, with majority involving fentanyl

    By Joe Sonka | Posted on July 25, 2018

    Fatal drug overdoses in Kentucky increased by 11.5 percent to 1,565 in 2017, with the powerful opioid fentanyl being present in the majority of these cases, according to the annual fatality report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. The report showed that...

  • Heroin forum Monday at Louisville Urban League

    By Darla Carter | Posted on June 25, 2018

    The community’s response to the opioid crisis will be the focus of a forum at 6 p.m. Monday at the Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway. Wayne Crabtree of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness will be on hand to give...

  • South Louisville legislators convene task force on opioid crisis

    By Joe Sonka | Posted on June 18, 2018

    State Representatives McKenzie Cantrell and Joni Jenkins have convened a new task force to combat the opioid epidemic devastating the south Louisville districts they represent, where more residents died from accidental drug overdoses in 2017 than anywhere else in the city. The task force...

  • HHS accepting state applications for $930 million in funding to combat opioid crisis

    By Joe Sonka | Posted on June 15, 2018

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is now accepting applications from states for $930 million in State Opioid Response Grants, which will be used to support efforts throughout the country to provide addiction treatment and recovery support services to those with an...

  • Updated: Beshear suing Walgreens for alleged role in Kentucky’s opioid epidemic

    By Joe Sonka | Posted on June 14, 2018

    Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear filed a lawsuit Thursday in Boone County Circuit Court against Walgreens, alleging that it failed to legally monitor its operations that shipped and dispensed large amounts of opioids through its more than 70 stores throughout the state. The lawsuit...

  • FDA greenlights Louisville company’s drug for opioid withdrawal

    By Darla Carter | Posted on May 17, 2018

    A Louisville company is hoping that its drug will help temper the impact of the opioid crisis that has gripped Kentucky and the nation. US WorldMeds announced Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved the drug, Lucemyra, to help manage the...