The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) has released data from the 2020 Overdose Fatality Report.
According to the report, at least 1,964 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses in 2020, a 49 percent increase from 2019.
Grayson County reported eight overdose deaths in 2020, with Breckinridge County reporting seven. Butler, Hart and Ohio counties all reported fewer than five overdose deaths.
Hardin County, with a population of about 111,000, which is substantially denser than any of the previously mentioned counties, had 31 overdose deaths in 2020.
Jefferson County, the state’s most populous county, had 512 overdose deaths, an increase of 60.5 percent over 2019. Other counties with large increases in overdose deaths, include Fayette (51 more), Clark (20), Campbell (18), and Boone (16).
According to in-state cases autopsied by the Office of the state Medical Examiner and toxicology reports submitted by Kentucky coroners, the increase in the death toll was driven mostly by a rise in opioid abuse, with fentanyl and its analogues being found in 1,393 cases, accounting for 71 percent of all overdose deaths in 2020.
- Methamphetamine was detected in 801 (40.8 percent) overdose deaths, an increase from 517 in 2019.
- Morphine as found in 504 (25.7 percent) overdose deaths, an increase from 397 in 2019.
- Heroin was detected in 191 (9.7 percent) of the deaths, an increase from 166 in 2019.
People between the ages of 35 and 54 accounted for 975 (49.6 percent) of Kentucky’s 2020 overdose deaths, while residents between 15 and 34 were responsible for 590 (30 percent) overdose deaths.
“In addition to the stress caused by the pandemic, we believe the increase in overdose deaths for 2020 is due to a rise in illicit fentanyl and its analogues within the drug supply. The problem is also exacerbated by the widespread availability of potent, inexpensive methamphetamine,” said Van Ingram, Executive Director of ODCP.
You can view the 2020 Overdose Fatality Report here, which was compiled with data from the Kentucky Office of the Medical Examiner, the Kentucky Injury Prevention & Research Center, and the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics.
Nationwide, overdose deaths topped more than 93,000 in 2020. The highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a one-year period.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
