Kentucky to Allocate $42 Million for Psychedelics Research

Kentucky announced on Wednesday that it will spend tens-of-millions of dollars to support psychedelic drug research in its fight against opioid addiction. Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who spoke at a Kentucky Opiod Abatement Advisory Commission news conference, explained the commission’s plans for exploring new treatments for those suffering from opioid use disorder. This commitment will include more than $40,000,000 for psychedelics research. Cameron, quoted by Psychedelic Alpha, said: “We cannot continue losing over two-thousand Kentuckians each year to addictions.” In the announcement, the commission said that its proposal includes “investigating new treatments to reverse the chemical effects of opioid addiction, including opioid withdrawal.””Kentucky must overcome the opioid epidemic by any and all means necessary,” said Bryan Hubbard, Chairman and Executive Director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC). As we move into the next phase of our fight against this epidemic, we must explore all treatment options that demonstrate breakthrough therapeutic potential. The money will come from a $26 billion settlement reached last year between multiple state and local governments and some of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies over their role in creating the opioid epidemic. The money will come from a $26 billion settlement reached last year between multiple state and local governments and some of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies over their role in creating the opioid epidemic.The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission was created last year and charged with the task of distributing the more than $842 million that was awarded to the Commonwealth in last year’s settlements.”The Commission is comprised of nine voting and two non-voting members and includes stakeholders from, among others, the prevention and treatment community, law enforcement, and victims of the opioid crisis,” the commission’s website explains.The settlement resolved “more than 4,000 claims of state and local governments across the country,” according to Cameron’s website, and it was “the second-largest multistate agreement in U.S. history, second only to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.””Tentative settlement details were initially announced on July 21, 2021, and, after careful review, Attorney General Cameron signed the settlement on behalf of the Commonwealth. The website explains that he was joined by a wide coalition of states and sub-divisions to sign both settlement agreements. One with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, and the other with three pharmaceutical distributors AmerisourceBergen Cardinal Health and McKesson. “The two settlements require the distributors and J&J pay billions of dollar to abate the epidemic, totaling 26.5 billion over 18 years with approximately 22.7% of that amount available for opioid abatement.” Cameron appointed Hubbard as the commission’s chair last year. At Wednesday’s press conference, Hubbard expressed the urgency to stem the tide. “Our history requires it.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “the number of drug overdose death increased by nearly 30% between 2019 and 2020 and has quadrupled since 1999.” According to the CDC, opioid-related deaths rates have changed significantly from 2019 to 2020.