Operation Fight Fentanyl public forum set for March 15 at Corbin Ctr.

KY Attorney General Daniel Cameron will lead the forum

Those in the community who have been affected by the growing threat of fentanyl, or those who wish to learn more about it, will soon get their chance when Attorney General Daniel Cameron presents an Operation Fight Fentanyl public forum at the Corbin Center on Wednesday, March 15.

The Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy’s website (odcp.ky.gov) says, “Fentanyl, and fentanyl analogues, are the deadliest and most addictive drugs our nation has ever seen. They are powerful synthetic opioids that are similar to morphine, but 50-to-100 times more potent.”

In order to combat this threat in the Commonwealth, Attorney General Cameron has launched Operation Fight Fentanyl, an initiative that aims to educate the public and explore potential solutions through a series of open forums in communities across Kentucky.

The forum series began last month, with a meeting in Covington (Kenton Co.) on Feb. 1 and one in Falmouth (Pendleton Co.) on Feb. 28. The forum in Corbin next week will be the third such event, with four others – in Simpson, Greenup, Martin and Leslie counties – scheduled to take place before the end of April.

When asked during a recent phone interview why he felt like now was the time to organize these public community forums, Cameron said, “Kentucky has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, especially fentanyl, as of late. [In 2021,] we lost 2,250 people to overdoses, and 70 percent of those were due to fentanyl.”

“It has become pervasive in all of our counties,” Cameron continued. “So, we want to do everything that we can in the Attorney General’s office to help put a stop to it.”

Cameron, who is currently campaigning for the Republican nomination for governor, will be present at next Wednesday’s forum, which is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 p.m. in room 103 of the Corbin Center. He said that he hopes these series of public forums will “allow people to talk about, and figure out new ways that we can fight this epidemic.”

Joining Cameron next Wednesday afternoon will be Bryan Hubbard, who is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (OAAC), as well as other panelists and public officials. Those in attendance will hear a presentation on the necessity of Operation Fight Fentanyl, followed by reports on the impact of the drug on Kentucky communities, and responses that are either in development, or that are actively being deployed.

Community members will have a chance to share their stories and voice their concerns before the forum comes to a close.

Whitley County Public Health Director Marcy Rein said that she hopes to be in attendance at next week’s forum. When asked to give her thoughts on how fentanyl is affecting families in Williamsburg, Corbin and surrounding areas, she said, “A big concern is that different drugs can be contaminated with it. We have been seeing fentanyl coming up in toxicology reports where people didn’t even know they were getting it.”

“When it comes to this drug, the people using it are not just the ones that you would stereotypically think of,” Rein added. “There are a lot of accidental overdoses with it, and for a lot of those people it is their first time using.”

As for the upcoming forum, and what she hopes it will accomplish, Rein said, “Having the attention of the Attorney General, and bringing together a broad group of people to discuss this problem, should be very helpful. This is impacting all of us, and we all need to be concerned with it. Everyone needs to pay attention, learn what they can, and exercise caution.”

Rein said that fentanyl is 50-60 times more powerful than heroin, so it only takes an extremely small amount to be potentially fatal. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), overdoses “may result in stupor, changes in pupillary size, cold and clammy skin, cyanosis, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death.”

For more information, visit the DEA’s “one pill can kill” campaign wesbite at dea.gov/onepill.

For more information on Operation Fight Fentanyl, visit the website of the Attorney General at ag.ky.gov.