Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron spoke Monday about the more than $800 million awarded in relief settlements that will be poured into communities across the Commonwealth to help combat the opioid epidemic. Cameron made a stop in Owensboro, speaking to a crowd of law enforcement employees from across the state during the Kentucky Jailers Association convention.
The money, he said, is a joint project between his office and the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Committee. Major medicine-producing companies were contacted by the two organizations to secure the funds, Cameron said. With 50% of the relief funds going to the Committee, he said the remaining 50% will be dispersed among counties across the state.
“It’s going right into our communities for you all, along with your fiscal courts and your county judges, to be able to make decisions about how to best utilize those resources to fight this affliction that has plagued our people for far too long,” he said. “We’re chipping away at this epidemic and certainly grateful for the folks that have been involved in this process.”
He said the crisis had hit the jail system hard, as those employees work to treat individuals who have an opioid addiction. Cameron noted that he understands that law enforcement officers and jailers often see people in their worst of times.
“I mean, when they hit rock bottom, you’ve seen them. I know a lot of you will take the mission seriously to get them on the pathway to being the best version of themselves,” Cameron said.
Cameron also pledged to work to increase the teachers’ salaries in the Commonwealth, saying he wants to ensure staff have the resources to do the job and teach the children.
Part of his proposed solution is a 16-week program that aims to catch the students up on their reading, science, and math skills.
“We want to make sure that we’re restoring discipline to the classroom so that teachers are empowered to remove any disruptions that might exist and also want to get rid of any bureaucracy that exists as well,” he said.
