Kentucky’s ‘Better Without It’ Anti-Drug Campaign Recruits College Basketball Players to Reach Youth

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Tapping into his state’s love of college basketball, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has recruited two players from top programs and given them roles as social media influencers to promote his drug prevention initiative aimed at young people.

Social media videos released Tuesday feature University of Kentucky forward Trent Noah and University of Louisville guard J’Vonne Hadley. The separate messages bridge their schools’ storied rivalry by offering a common theme — the importance of staying active and disciplined as part of the “Better Without It” campaign. Their videos coincide with the start of the NCAA basketball tournament.

“March always brings madness to the commonwealth, and this year it also brings a lifesaving message: our young people are ‘Better Without It,’” Coleman said.

The Bluegrass State is using prevention and treatment efforts to fight back against a drug addiction epidemic. Kentucky’s drug overdose death toll reached nearly 2,000 in 2023, with fentanyl — a powerful synthetic opioid — blamed as the biggest culprit. It marked a second straight annual decline in deaths, but the state’s top leaders say the fight is far from over. Kentucky lawmakers last year created tougher penalties for fentanyl dealers when their illicit distribution results in a fatal overdose.

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