Kentuckians call for regulations for sober living facilities

The state's Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission held its fifth town hall Wednesday at the University of Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Wednesday marks the fifth town hall meeting for the state’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC) since it started over the summer. The commission traveling all over the state to hear from those impacted by drug use, how they think the state’s portion of a $478-million settlement should be spent.

“Stigma is an abstract concept but the way that it affects people’s lives, I don’t think we can forget that,” says one woman in the recovery community.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, drug use has increased nationwide, especially in Kentucky, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. In 2020, Kentucky ranked third in the country in overall overdose deaths, a number that only grew in 2021.

Specifically, some counties in central Kentucky are seeing large variations with the number of overdose deaths. For example, in KYOAAC’s charts, Bourbon and Woodford counties started on the low end of the scale but a year later jumped to the highest end. Madison county on the other hand has remained in the highest level of overdose deaths from 2019 through 2021.

“The opioid epidemic is not a respecter of tongue, tribe, kindred or class. It is an equal opportunity killer and we need to address it as such,” says Bryan Hubbard, executive director and chair of KYOAAC.

At Wednesday’s town hall, over 20 people whose lives have been impacted by drug addiction directly or indirectly spoke to the commission with stories and suggestions on how the settlement should be spent.

“I think beyond the NAR certification, we need to actually have some state regulations as to what qualifies as a sober living,” says Dave Thomas, recovering addict and president of Recovery Cafe Lexington.

Many echoed this sentiment. One mother, sharing her son’s story and some of the insight he gave her while trying to get clean.

“He told me one of the things you go to recovery to try to get help and it’s like a party. You know, you think you’re in a safe environment where you’re being watched, medical professional, but you’re being watched by other addicts,” she says.

There are three more town hall meetings this year, the next being in Louisville on November 1st. More information on the meetings can be found at the link HERE.