Drug overdose deaths are down in Kentucky today.

Governor Andy Beshear announced new numbers for 2023.

Drug deaths were down 9.8% from 2022.

Still, more than 1900 Kentuckians died.

Fentanyl accounted for almost 80% of those deaths.

Overall death numbers were up among black Americans and Kentuckians.

The increase was about 5%, but that's less than the 22% increase the previous year.

Today, the governor talked about what's working and curbing fatal overdoses.

When I'm asked what has led to this, it's everything.

It's all of the work of everyone in this room and across the state who have fought so hard, who have created new facilities that have been there for our people in need as our first responders who do a better job every year of bringing people back.

Because the answer to how many times you ought to revive someone who's overdosing is every single time that it's somebody's loved one.

I do believe the distribution of Narcan that the governor mentioned was huge in 2023, and I hope we can distribute even more than 160,000 units coming in in 2023.

I want to mention Operation Unite in our statewide call center that they operate for us.

Nearly 4000 people in 2023 called and said, I need help.

I have an addiction.

I need help.

And the folks that work there are so compassionate and so patient and help so many people.