Governor Andy Beshear announced that his administration has awarded roughly $1.7 million in grant funding to go to agencies across the state to fight drug trafficking and decrease overdose deaths.
According to a news release, some of those grant monies were awarded locally, including $2,400 to the City of Guthrie, $372,8000 to Kentucky State Police and the Pennryile Narcotics Task Force received $281,500.
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) will allow Kentucky’s law enforcement, drug task forces and nonprofit organizations to purchase critical resources, provide drug prevention programming to community residents, offer counseling to crime victims, ensure officers receive specialized training and work with individuals leaving incarceration for successful reentry skills.
Kentucky saw a decline in overdose deaths in 2023—the second year in a row—and in July, Kentucky State Police’s drug seizures equaled to over $9.6 million, which is the largest amount seized in one month in recent history.