Kentucky authorities approve funding for Better Off Without It drug prevention program

KENTUCKY (WCHS) — The Kentucky State Opioid Abatement Commission has approved funding for a new statewide drug prevention program that will use prominent Kentucky residents to help youth understand that they are “better off drugs.”

Attorney General Russell Coleman said the program will be tailored to the needs of the state and will incorporate elements of social media and peer mentoring to create impact in Kentucky and encourage teens and young adults to avoid drug use.

“We wouldn't invest these vital resources if we didn't have data and evidence that it has worked in many other places,” Coleman said. “It has worked elsewhere when young people talk to young people, when athletes talk to young people and tell them it's better to choose a different path. There is hope. There is another way.”

Coleman said the program will begin this school year and last for two years. The Opioid Control Commission has approved more than $7 million for the project.

Jason Merrick, who has struggled with addiction for more than two decades, called the program an “ambitious proposal.”

Merrick, who now works with Addiction Recovery Care, told Eyewitness News that while peers and mentors can have an influence, there is no one-size-fits-all recovery process.

“Honestly, I don't think it would do me much good at this age if I only heard it on TV or the Internet.”

Organizers are confident the campaign's connection to the Bluegrass State will resonate with the target audience.

“We're going to make it look like Kentucky,” Russell said. “We're going to use influential people from Kentucky. We're going to use Kentucky musicians and art and have these young people talk to other young people about how they would be better off without Kentucky.”

Officials said the program would be funded through opioid drug settlements.