One of the most pressing issues before state lawmakers in 2015 relates to heroin addiction.
In the last few years, drug overdose deaths have been a priority concern in many Kentucky cities and increasingly in rural communities.
Office of Drug Control Policy Director Van Ingram says a Good Samaritan provision should be adopted. Ingram says the law would ensure those helping someone in heroin related stress is not prosecuted. "We hear from parents all the time who've lost a child to a drug overdose that other people were with them or found them that were actively using drugs with them, but they were afraid of being arrested," said Ingram. "So they ran, rather than staying and calling 911."
Ingram says easier access to Naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, is also needed. He says provisions to protect police against needle sticks should be explored as well. "You know, when you have to put your hands on someone to search them or search their vehicle and that person can tell where that needle is and you don't get stuck, to me that's worth more than a drug paraphernalia arrest," added Ingram
A report published by the state's Office of Drug Control Policy showed nearly 1/3 of all overdose deaths in Kentucky last year were due to heroin.
