Fayette County has millions to spend on overdose prevention. Why the hold up? | Opinion

Recently, I attended Fayette County’s budget hearing, which focused specifically on available opioid abatement funds. For those who don’t know — and you’re not alone — abatement funds were awarded to our state and county after major drug companies settled lawsuits holding them accountable for our current overdose crisis. We know we’re still facing an overdose crisis today, and now we have funds to end it — seems simple right? Not for Fayette County.

Our county has failed to both spend an initial $9 million in opioid abatement funds and explain what the hold up is. It’s been more than six months since our local Opioid Abatement Commission released recommendations on how the money should be spent, but not a dollar has been dispersed. Each moment Fayette County continues to wait, more people will be pushed to the edge. I know, because I’ve been through it.

Less than two years ago, I was at a crossroads. I had spent months without stable housing and slept on a friend’s floor. I used alcohol to escape my reality and past traumas. When my use was at its worst, I was isolated and pushed to the edge of society. Everything I did was wrong, and it felt like that would never change. But then I had the opportunity to start recovery in Lexington.

Getting into a treatment center gave me housing, stability, and a community that treated me as human. But what I realized quickly was that I’m one of the lucky ones. As I continued my path to recovery, I realized how few spaces Lexington — and all of Kentucky — has for people who use substances, and what is available typically requires complete sobriety. Outside the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, people looking for public health tools are often out of luck. This is exactly where Opioid Abatement funding earmarked specifically for our county could make a huge difference.

We know how abatement funds should be spent: overdose prevention tools and spaces that keep people alive without punishing them for their choices. When data showed overdose had decreased in Lexington in 2024, Mayor Gorton credited tools like medication-assisted treatment and distribution of Narcan and fentanyl test strips. And that mirrors recommendations from national experts on how settlement funds should be spent. We need tools like drug checking, syringe services programs, housing programs, and other wrap-around services. Lexington must continue the good work it’s doing and expand access to harm reduction using abatement funds.

So when will Fayette County start dispersing the millions of dollars of funding?

You don’t have to be directly impacted by the overdose crisis to want some answers. I organize with VOCAL-KY in Lexington, I see the need every day in our community. People who struggle with drug use, homelessness, or mental health (often all at the same time) need services and care – not punishment.

It’s not just about spending the abatement dollars we have. Fayette County owes us transparency as well. We need to know what organizations can access these dollars, what they’re being spent on, and how much we’re spending. Experts also agree that these dollars aren’t just a blank check. Using this money to fund criminalization, police, and jails is a slap in the face to those who have lost a loved one to the war on drugs.

I was able to attend and share public comments at Fayette County’s budget hearing, but we need more community members to start asking questions. The longer we wait to put this money towards proven solutions, the more people we neglect to help.

It’s time we spend the dollars and get receipts.

Trevor Davis lives in Lexington and organizes for VOCAL-KY.