(LEX 18) — According to a new report, overdose deaths in Kentucky have dropped in 2018.
It's the first statewide drop in drug overdose deaths since 2013. After years of rising death tolls, overdoses dropped by 15 percent last year. It's the largest drop in at least a decade. The Center for Disease Control says overdose deaths dropped nationwide by five percent in 2018.
For years, people have pointed fingers at drug companies for fueling the drug epidemic. FDA records show that 76 billion Oxycodone and Hydrocodone pills were shipped to US pharmacies from 2006 to 2012.
Opioid policy research at Brandeis University say this is the first time in 25 years that overdose deaths nationwide have dropped from year to year.
