FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Wednesday continued his fight against the opioid epidemic by holding an "Operation Fight Fentanyl" forum in Leslie County. He was joined in Hyden by a panel of law enforcement, prosecutor, and community partners, as well as family members who have been impacted by fentanyl poisoning. This is the seventh Operation Fight Fentanyl event held by Attorney General Cameron.
"There is hardly a family anywhere in the Commonwealth that has been immune to the scourge of opioids like fentanyl," said Attorney General Cameron. "Over the last three years, we have been working hard, day in and day out, to combat the opioid epidemic, and Operation Fight Fentanyl is part of an ongoing effort to push back against this crisis."
In February, Attorney General Cameron launched Operation Fight Fentanyl to hear directly from Kentuckians affected by fentanyl and discuss possible solutions to combat this crisis. Since then, Attorney General Cameron has held events in Kenton, Pendleton, Whitley, Simpson, Greenup, and Martin Counties. The next Operation Fight Fentanyl forum will be held in Henderson County on May 2.
Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest report, in the 12-month period ending in August 2022 nearly 70,000 people died from an overdose of synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl. In 2021, the Commonwealth lost 2,250 Kentuckians to overdose death, including 6 people in Leslie County, and fentanyl was detected in more than 70 percent of these cases.
"It will take all of us working together to put a stop to the ongoing opioid crisis in the Commonwealth," said Bryan Hubbard, Executive Director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. "I'm grateful to Attorney General Cameron for launching Operation Fight Fentanyl and acting as a convening authority so that together we can tackle the opioid epidemic with unified purpose."
Attorney General Cameron has secured over $842 million dollars in settlement funds from pharmacies, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers of opioids for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
Last September, Attorney General Cameron urged President Biden to classify fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. In February, he called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate certain Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Last month, he sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the Department of Justice to take immediate action to meaningfully address the fentanyl crisis.
To learn more about Operation Fight Fentanyl, click here.
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