Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman unveiled plans Tuesday to create a statewide drug prevention program, saying the youth-focused initiative would fill a hole in the Bluegrass State’s fight against an addiction epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives.

Coleman presented the plan’s details to a state commission, which unanimously approved his request for a $3.6 million investment over two years to implement it.

“With over one million Kentuckians under the age of 18, we are going to put every single dollar to good use,” Coleman said. “Our parents and grandparents schooled us that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I fully believe this initiative lives up to that age-old sentiment.”

Substance abuse is a deadly scourge in Kentucky though there are signs of progress in fighting back.

A total of 1,984 Kentuckians died last year from a drug overdose, down 9.8% from the previous year, Gov. Andy Beshear announced in June, citing an annual report. Fentanyl — a powerful synthetic opioid — remained the biggest culprit, accounting for 79% of overdose deaths in 2023, according to the report.

While conceding the fight against drug abuse is far from over, officials credited recent gains on expanded efforts to treat addiction, plus illegal drug seizures by law enforcement.