The opioid epidemic continues to claim the lives of Kentuckians at a pace of nearly 30 a week.
Attorney General Andy Beshear was in NKY yesterday at Transitions Inc., calling on state lawmakers to create a permanent trust fund to battle addiction in Kentucky.
Beshear worked with Rep. Dennis Keene, of Wilder, to pre-file legislation that requires funds recovered by the Commonwealth from lawsuits, fines or settlements related to the drug epidemic to only be spent addressing the needs of Kentucky’s drug prevention educators, law enforcement and treatment providers.
Beshear said he wants to guarantee all revenues gained from the seven lawsuits his office is pursuing, and any future lawsuit funds, be spent to help Kentucky families and communities recuperate from the destruction caused by this epidemic.
“By holding opioid manufacturers or distributors accountable, the Commonwealth could realize ‘game-changing’ funding that must not be lost to other causes or subjects,” said Beshear. “We must leave no question that these desperately needed funds go directly to those in crisis and on the front-lines.”
Beshear is currently seeking punitive damages for the Commonwealth in his lawsuits againstAmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Johnson and Johnson, Mallinckrodt, McKesson Corporation and Walgreens. The lawsuits allege each company unlawfully built a market for the chronic use of opioids in the name of increasing corporate profits, knowing all along the dangers.
As established in BR 155, the Kentucky addiction prevention, recovery, and enforcement fund, will be administered by a committee that will retain and direct applicable revenues. If passed, both the governor and the attorney general would appoint members to the fund, and the president of the Senate and speaker of the house would serve as ex-officio members.
Bill sponsor Rep. Dennis Keene said, Kentucky’s war on drugs is positioned above party lines and remains a priority for all members of the General Assembly.
“This epidemic touches every corner of our state and in order to win this battle we must draw our resources together and work together,” he said. “The bill sets forth a bipartisan committee, which adds a representative from the prevention community, to help prevent future addiction and aid the committee in determining how best to allocate incoming settlement funds from lawsuits filed and won by Attorney General Beshear.”
More than 100 drug treatment advocates and law enforcement officials attended the announcement Thursday.
Jim Beiting, chief executive officer, Transitions Inc. said, “Prevention, law enforcement, and treatment programs are in need of adequate funding to provide top-notch and evidence-based interventions.”
Jason Merrick, addiction services director, Kenton County Detention Center said, “Updated and restructured funding in relation to law enforcement and correctional-based recovery efforts such as Kenton County’s Quick Response Teams and COR-12 is needed to sufficiently support the innovative advancements in the field. We can, and will overcome this epidemic.”
The continued push to create a trust fund through legislation is part of Beshear’s ongoing efforts to tackle the state’s drug epidemic.
