FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Daniel Cameron has announced the launch of an initiative to combat the opioid epidemic titled "Operation Fight Fentanyl." The initiative will aid Attorney General Cameron's office in tackling the opioid epidemic by hearing from law enforcement, legislators, stakeholders, and community members regarding the impact of illicit fentanyl on communities across the Commonwealth.
"Fentanyl is flowing freely across our southern border into Kentucky and harming our friends, family, and neighbors, and it must stop," said Attorney General Cameron. "Operation Fight Fentanyl is our newest effort to attack the opioid epidemic by engaging with communities across the Commonwealth to hear how they've been impacted by this deadly drug and what steps we can take to beat it."
Today, Attorney General Cameron kicked-off Operation Fight Fentanyl by holding a roundtable in Kenton County to discuss the effect of fentanyl. He was joined by a panel of law enforcement, legislative, and community partners. The next Operation Fight Fentanyl event will be held in Pendleton County on February 28, 2023.
"In 2021, fentanyl was the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, and Kentuckians are not immune to this epidemic," said Executive Director of the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission Bryan Hubbard. "This is a startling reality, and I am proud to work alongside Attorney General Cameron to do everything we possibly can to combat this crisis."
Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's latest report, more than 75,000 Americans died from overdose of synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, in the 12-month period ending in February 2022. Kentucky's latest Overdose Fatality Report states that in 2021, the Commonwealth lost 2,250 Kentuckians to overdose death, and fentanyl was detected in more than 70 percent of these cases.
Since last February, the amount of fentanyl seized could kill every man, woman, and child in the country more than 11 times. Despite record amounts of fentanyl being seized by the United States Customs and Border Patrol, large quantities are still entering the United States.
Four months ago, Attorney General Cameron joined a bi-partisan coalition of 18 attorneys general, urging President Biden to classify fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD).
To learn more about Operation Fight Fentanyl, click here.
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