Andy Beshear announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a 30.2% decrease in 2024 compared with the previous year. According to the 2024 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, 1,410 Kentuckians lost their lives last year to a drug overdose. Fentanyl was present in 62.3% of overdose deaths, and methamphetamine was present in 50.8% of overdose deaths. In 2022, there was a decrease of 2.5% from 2021, marking the first year Kentucky saw a decrease in overdose deaths since 2018. Kentucky’s overdose report includes only the deaths of Kentucky residents, which has been the standard since the Kentucky General Assembly first required this annual report.