In a committee meeting this week, retiring Office of Drug Control Policy head Van Ingram said while the next chapter for the state is starting in a better place than it's been at the most challenging points in his tenure, the fight to stay on top of trends in drug use is a never-ending one.
"Here's one thing I do know. Right now there are people all over this country that are trying to develop the next illicit substance that mimics a controlled substance now but it's not a controlled substance and that's something Tara will have to really look out for," he said. "It's something I have dealt with every year since I've been here."
While Ingram has been with the office for more than two decades, Tara Hyde is set to bring a new kind of experience to the job.
"Recovery is very personal to me. I'm a person in long-term recovery and I have been in recovery since 2011 and since being in recovery and overcoming addiction, I've found a real passion for helping people, for getting people access to services, and for creating new services when they didn't exist," she said during Thursday's Team Kentucky update.
Hyde enters the position amid a four-year downturn in overdose deaths, one the state is hoping to continue with 39 counties now certified as recovery-ready communities — a designation awarded to regions that meet certain requirements in prevention, treatment and recovery services.