By Tom Latek/Kentucky Today | Originally published Aug. 29, 2025
FRANKFORT, Ky. – During his weekly press conference on Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation recognizing Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day in Kentucky.
Following efforts by the Beshear Administration and community partners to keep dangerous drugs off the streets, reduce the stigma around asking for help and ensure there are treatment options in every community, the state has seen three straight years of decline in overdose deaths.
“Overdose Awareness Day is a time to remember those we have lost, honor their families, and stand with those still struggling,” said Gov. Beshear. “I want to thank all the recovery advocates across the state. Together, we are building a New Kentucky Home – where we have more resources to fight addiction and our communities are safer. We’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have more to do. One life lost to overdose is too many.”
During the Update, Gov. Beshear also announced that Boyd, Carter, Clay, Greenup, Letcher and Owsley counties have each been certified as Recovery Ready Communities for their commitment to providing residents with access to addiction treatment and recovery support and removing barriers to the workforce. A total of 31 counties in the commonwealth are now certified as Recovery Ready Communities for having established services available for more than 1.7 million Kentuckians who are seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction.
One possible new resource in options for recovery treatment is Ibogaine, which is currently a Schedule 1 drug nationwide, meaning it is not legal to use in the U.S.
While advocates of the drug spoke about its possibilities during a meeting of the General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Health Services on Wednesday, Beshear said during his press conference that he is not yet ready to support making Ibogaine available in Kentucky.
“A lot more research needs to be done on Ibogaine,” he said. “It can also cause some really significant reactions in a number of people. You don’t tread lightly into something like that can be that powerful or can potentially be that damaging. This is what the FDA is for; this is what they ought to be researching.”
He added, “Let’s make sure that we’re not just looking at the next bright shiny object, but that we are recognizing the hard work with the structure we have in place that has done so much for our people, and let’s keep doing that work.”
This article was originally published by Kentucky Today.
Tom Latek has been the Frankfort correspondent for Kentucky Today, the online news service of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, since 2016. Prior to that, he worked at radio and television stations in Frankfort, Lexington, and Louisville, since moving to Kentucky in 1982.
