While state lawmakers debate heroin legislation, a new poll finds 11% of Kentuckians have family members or friends who have suffered because of the drug. That’s a two percent jump from 2013.
The rate is much higher in northern Kentucky at 26%. The poll was taken by The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. CEO Susan Zepeda encourages the General Assembly to pass heroin legislation this session.
"What this tells us is there's been a rise in heroin use," noted Zepeda. "At the same time, prior legislation has contributed to the decline we're seeing in prescription drug abuse."
Prescription drug abuse in Kentucky has been on the decline since 2011. That’s when lawmakers approved legislation cracking down on pain clinic and mandating that doctors use a prescription drug monitoring program. As for heroin legislation, the House and Senate continue to clash over how to treat addicts and punish dealers. In January, the Republican-led Senate passed a bill that takes savings from 2011 criminal justice reforms and directs the funds to treatment programs. The House is expected to produce heroin legislation next week.
