Deaths from drug overdoses among Kentucky residents in 2024 experienced a marked decline from previous years, according to data released by the state.

The 2024 Drug Overdose Fatality Report released earlier this month by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet showed that overdose deaths declined for the third consecutive year, totaling 1,410 in 2024, a 30.2% decrease from the 1,984 fatalities recorded in 2023.

For the same period in Warren County, drug overdose deaths dropped from 29 in 2023 to 17 last year.

The 17 overdose deaths recorded in the county last year represent the 14th-highest number recorded among all Kentucky counties.

The report identifies a number of factors contributing to the decrease in overdose deaths, including the more than $29 million distributed in grant and pass-through funding from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, the distribution of more than 170,000 doses of naloxone — more commonly known as Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose — access to treatment and recovery services through programs funded by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort and the certification of 21 counties as Recovery Ready communities, a designation that identifies a community’s efforts to make addiction treatment available to its residents.

“I am thankful that more Kentuckians are alive and in recovery today compared with last year,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement announcing the 2024 report’s findings. “But we still mourn and grieve our 1,410 Kentuckians who lost their life last year to addiction and the many more who we lost before that. Every life lost is a child of God, and someone’s mom, dad, son, daughter and loved one. We won’t stop until every Kentuckian is saved from addiction.”

Kentucky’s drop in overdose deaths mirrors national trends, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention having reported a 17 percent decrease in overdose deaths in the U.S. between July 2023 and July 2024, the largest year-to-year decrease seen to date in the country.

Among recorded fatalities in Kentucky last year, fentanyl was the most prevalent substance, identified through toxicology reports in 878 deaths.

Methamphetamine was identified statewide in 716 drug overdose deaths in 2024.

“I think the combined efforts of what we’ve referred to as the three-legged stool of treatment, prevention and law enforcement is what has caused this result,” Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force executive director Tommy Loving said about the decrease in fatalities.

Last year, drug task force agents seized slightly more than 10,000 fentanyl tablets, about 30 grams of fentanyl in powder form, 67 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 17 pounds of cocaine, 449 pounds of marijuana and about 2,100 THC vape cartridges, according to data from Loving.

While cocaine was identified as present in about 20 percent of statewide overdose deaths in 2024, Loving noted that seizures of cocaine and crack cocaine have been on the rise in Warren County.

“I’m not sure what that means but we’re watching it closely,” Loving said.

Stephen Parrott, advanced EMT field supervisor for Med Center EMS, said that more widespread access to Narcan, available at the Barren River Health Department, LifeSkills and several stations in various public parks, has had a hand in lessening fatalities.

Consequently, paramedics have had fewer occasions to use Narcan when responding to overdose calls, with Parrott saying that 142 deployments of Narcan by EMS were recorded in 2024, down from about 350 in 2023.

Parrott also said he believed Kentucky was helped by legislation passed in 2023 that decriminalized fentanyl test strips, exempting them from statutes classifying drug paraphernalia.

“I like the fact that we have these numbers decreasing,” Parrott said. “My personal opinion is the continuous talking about how well we’re doing is good, but it also can give a false sense of security. People are being more cautious, but we’ve got to continue talking about this issue, making sure everybody is on board and knows that this is a problem.”