Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Kentucky

When Purdue Pharma first began sales of OxyContin in the late 1990s, it was advertised as relief for cancer patients and people with chronic pain. Aggressive marketing fueled the drug’s popularity, along with that of other opioid pain management drugs on the market. But as the company touted OxyContin to physicians, it downplayed the drug’s addictiveness, according to confidential Justice Department reports obtained by news organizations, leading to widespread use that has fueled an opioid epidemic across the U.S.

More than 645,000 people have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional data shows just under 80,000 people died in 2022 alone.

Opioid prescriptions have decreased dramatically over the past decade as physicians and public health officials learned about the dangers of OxyContin and other opioids prescribed for pain management. In 2020, the most recent year with data available, the national opioid dispense rate reached 43.3 per 100 people, the lowest rate ever recorded.

A 2022 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that counties with higher dispensing rates had more cases of opioid misuse and dependence. The study suggested that reducing prescriptions at the local level can lower a community’s rate of opioid abuse or misuse.

Other studies, however, have suggested that decreasing prescriptions may have fueled a new phase of the opioid epidemic: the rise of synthetics like fentanyl. In 2020, synthetics accounted for 82% of all opioid deaths.

It’s also important to note that, as awareness has grown about the dangers of dispensing opioid prescription painkillers, more health care professionals are also prescribing medications like Suboxone–which contains buprenorphine and naloxone—for the treatment of addiction and opioid use disorders. While Suboxone is also an opioid medication, it works differently than typical opioid painkillers, blocking the effects of more powerful and addictive opioids to deter intentional misuse.

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ophelia broke down counties in every state with the highest opioid dispense rates. In the case of a tie, the county with the higher population and higher raw number is ranked higher. Data was available for 98% of counties in the United States. Overall in Kentucky, the opioid dispensing rate was 68.2 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.

Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Kentucky stand.

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#50. Lyon County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 47.9 per 100 people
— 29.8% lower than state average
— 10.6% higher than national average

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#49. Rockcastle County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 48.0 per 100 people
— 29.6% lower than state average
— 10.9% higher than national average

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#48. Hickman County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 48.3 per 100 people
— 29.2% lower than state average
— 11.5% higher than national average

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#47. Franklin County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 48.7 per 100 people
— 28.6% lower than state average
— 12.5% higher than national average

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#46. Harrison County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 49.6 per 100 people
— 27.3% lower than state average
— 14.5% higher than national average

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#45. Morgan County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 50.0 per 100 people
— 26.7% lower than state average
— 15.5% higher than national average

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#44. Calloway County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 50.0 per 100 people
— 26.7% lower than state average
— 15.5% higher than national average

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#43. Mason County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 50.4 per 100 people
— 26.1% lower than state average
— 16.4% higher than national average

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#42. Adair County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 51.0 per 100 people
— 25.2% lower than state average
— 17.8% higher than national average

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#41. Pulaski County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 53.2 per 100 people
— 22.0% lower than state average
— 22.9% higher than national average

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#40. Grayson County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 53.8 per 100 people
— 21.1% lower than state average
— 24.2% higher than national average

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#39. Rowan County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 57.6 per 100 people
— 15.5% lower than state average
— 33.0% higher than national average

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#38. Crittenden County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 58.1 per 100 people
— 14.8% lower than state average
— 34.2% higher than national average

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#37. Powell County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 59.2 per 100 people
— 13.2% lower than state average
— 36.7% higher than national average

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#36. Knox County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 61.2 per 100 people
— 10.3% lower than state average
— 41.3% higher than national average

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#35. Clinton County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 62.0 per 100 people
— 9.1% lower than state average
— 43.2% higher than national average

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#34. Harlan County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 63.2 per 100 people
— 7.3% lower than state average
— 46.0% higher than national average

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#33. Henderson County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 63.6 per 100 people
— 6.7% lower than state average
— 46.9% higher than national average

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#32. Montgomery County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 64.2 per 100 people
— 5.9% lower than state average
— 48.3% higher than national average

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#31. Breathitt County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 64.3 per 100 people
— 5.7% lower than state average
— 48.5% higher than national average

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#30. Cumberland County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 64.8 per 100 people
— 5.0% lower than state average
— 49.7% higher than national average

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#29. Hardin County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 67.1 per 100 people
— 1.6% lower than state average
— 55.0% higher than national average

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#28. Magoffin County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 68.3 per 100 people
— 0.1% higher than state average
— 57.7% higher than national average

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#27. Daviess County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 73.3 per 100 people
— 7.5% higher than state average
— 69.3% higher than national average

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#26. Gallatin County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 75.3 per 100 people
— 10.4% higher than state average
— 73.9% higher than national average

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#25. Martin County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 76.4 per 100 people
— 12.0% higher than state average
— 76.4% higher than national average

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#24. Wolfe County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 76.6 per 100 people
— 12.3% higher than state average
— 76.9% higher than national average

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#23. Carlisle County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 77.6 per 100 people
— 13.8% higher than state average
— 79.2% higher than national average

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#22. Barren County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 78.3 per 100 people
— 14.8% higher than state average
— 80.8% higher than national average

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#21. Kenton County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 79.4 per 100 people
— 16.4% higher than state average
— 83.4% higher than national average

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#20. Ohio County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 82.2 per 100 people
— 20.5% higher than state average
— 89.8% higher than national average

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#19. Lee County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 85.4 per 100 people
— 25.2% higher than state average
— 97.2% higher than national average

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#18. Jefferson County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 86.5 per 100 people
— 26.8% higher than state average
— 99.8% higher than national average

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#17. Warren County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 88.0 per 100 people
— 29.0% higher than state average
— 103.2% higher than national average

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#16. Laurel County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 88.9 per 100 people
— 30.4% higher than state average
— 105.3% higher than national average

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#15. Hopkins County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 89.7 per 100 people
— 31.5% higher than state average
— 107.2% higher than national average

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#14. Boyd County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 93.7 per 100 people
— 37.4% higher than state average
— 116.4% higher than national average

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#13. Boyle County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 94.4 per 100 people
— 38.4% higher than state average
— 118.0% higher than national average

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#12. Wayne County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 102.9 per 100 people
— 50.9% higher than state average
— 137.6% higher than national average

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#11. Johnson County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 109.8 per 100 people
— 61.0% higher than state average
— 153.6% higher than national average

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#10. Fayette County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 115.3 per 100 people
— 69.1% higher than state average
— 166.3% higher than national average

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#9. Pike County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 119.9 per 100 people
— 75.8% higher than state average
— 176.9% higher than national average

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#8. Whitley County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 132.8 per 100 people
— 94.7% higher than state average
— 206.7% higher than national average

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#7. Floyd County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 133.4 per 100 people
— 95.6% higher than state average
— 208.1% higher than national average

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#6. Clay County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 138.3 per 100 people
— 102.8% higher than state average
— 219.4% higher than national average

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#5. Bell County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 140.0 per 100 people
— 105.3% higher than state average
— 223.3% higher than national average

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#4. Clark County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 188.1 per 100 people
— 175.8% higher than state average
— 334.4% higher than national average

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#3. Owsley County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 192.2 per 100 people
— 181.8% higher than state average
— 343.9% higher than national average

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#2. Mccracken County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 244.4 per 100 people
— 258.4% higher than state average
— 464.4% higher than national average

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#1. Perry County

– Opioid dispensing rate: 316.5 per 100 people
— 364.1% higher than state average
— 630.9% higher than national average

This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and
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