We have money to fight Kentucky's opioid crisis. Let's not waste it.
Thanks to landmark settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, states and municipalities across the country will receive over $50 billion in opioid abatement funding over the next 18 years. Kentucky alone is poised to receive more than $800 million. These funds represent an unprecedented opportunity to reverse the damage done and build a recovery system that works — not only for those battling substance use disorder (SUD) today but for future generations as well.
But with this opportunity comes a responsibility that we cannot afford to squander.
Already, we're seeing the warning signs. A yearlong investigation by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) Health News, along with researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the national nonprofit, Shatterproof, found many jurisdictions used settlement funds on items and services with tenuous, if any, connections to addiction.
These choices may help balance ledgers, but they fundamentally betray the purpose of these funds. This money was not awarded to maintain the status quo. As Robert Kent, former general counsel for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, put it, 'Certainly, the spirit of the settlements wasn't to keep doing what you're doing. It was to do more."
Kentucky must not follow this path.
To be sure, the temptation is real. Counties face budgetary constraints, state agencies are stretched thin and public servants are overdue for raises. But the long-term cost of misusing these funds will far exceed any short-term relief. Not only could such decisions lead to clawbacks of funds or disqualifications for future disbursements under the terms of the settlement agreements, they would also represent a tragic missed opportunity to finally turn the tide in our battle against addiction.
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Fortunately, Kentucky has already shown it knows how to lead.
In 2022, our legislature passed a landmark initiative — the Behavioral Health Conditional Dismissal Program. Backed by $10.5 million in opioid settlement funds, this four-year pilot program provides an alternative to incarceration for individuals charged with certain non-violent, non-sexual misdemeanors and Class D felonies. Instead of jail, eligible participants are evaluated by medical professionals and offered treatment for SUD and/or other mental health conditions. The goal is to use data to create a replicable, collaborative model that breaks the cycle of addiction, reduces recidivism and restores lives.
Early signs are promising, and the legislature is rightly considering expansion. This is exactly the kind of innovative, evidence-based programming that Kentucky should prioritize as we distribute settlement funds.
Other models from across the country offer inspiration as well. In several jurisdictions, police departments are now pairing with mental health professionals for real-time crisis intervention. These partnerships reduce trauma for both officers and individuals in crisis, lead to more humane outcomes and, ultimately, save taxpayer dollars by reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and incarcerations.
The opioid epidemic has already claimed more than 600,000 lives nationally. While recent data from the CDC show a hopeful 17% decline in opioid overdose deaths between July 2023 and July 2024, this drop is not a sign to become complacent — it's a sign that smart policy and targeted investment can work.
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And we'll need them. More potent synthetic opioids like nitazenes and dangerous additives like xylazine ('tranq') are beginning to enter the illicit drug supply. Without aggressive investment in innovative treatment options and infrastructure, public education, harm reduction and law enforcement support, we risk falling behind again just as we're beginning to catch up.
Let this be a turning point — not a footnote.
Kentucky's business leaders, health care providers, civic institutions and elected officials must all align around one unifying principle: These funds will be used for their intended purpose — to address the opioid crisis.
That means rejecting the temptation to misuse funds to paper over fiscal problems or bankroll unrelated projects. It means providing accountability and transparency. And it means staying focused on building a future in which fewer families grieve, fewer children are left behind and more Kentuckians live free from the grip of addiction.
This is our shot. Let's not waste it.
Vickie Yates Glisson is a lawyer and arbitrator who focuses her practice on health care and health insurance issues. She is president and founder of VYBG Consulting, PLLC and former secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KY can't afford to waste funds to fight the opioid crisis | Opinion
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