Attorney General Coleman unveils "Better Without It" youth prevention campaign with $3.6M in opioid-abatement funding

Attorney General Coleman announced in the Senate Caucus Room in Frankfort that his office and the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission are launching a statewide prevention campaign called "Better Without It," funded with $3.6 million over three years. The initiative will use student-athletes, coaches and social-media messaging aimed primarily at 13–26-year-olds to try to prevent drug use before it starts.

Coleman framed the campaign as the third leg of a three-part strategy—treatment, law enforcement and prevention—saying prevention is where the state has fallen short. "We lost 1984 Kentuckians to drug related death last year, 2023, to fatal overdoses," he said, and added that the commission approved a proposal to spend "$3,600,000 over 3 years" to support the effort.

The campaign partners include the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University and will recruit student athletes and coaches as messengers through NIL arrangements. "Who is more powerful as an influencer to Kentucky's next generation than our student athletes and their coaches?" Coleman said. He added the content is designed to look and sound like Kentucky and will appear on social platforms where young people spend time.

Director Chris Evans of the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, introduced by Coleman, described the approach as intentionally strategic and marketing-driven rather than a traditional government program. "We wanna be clear. We wanna be deliberate. We wanna be impactful in what we do," Evans said, describing a phased rollout in which preview videos will begin to appear immediately and additional content will be staged over time.

Coaches and student-athletes who spoke at the event emphasized reach and credibility. Jeff Brahm, the University of Louisville head football coach, said athletes and coaches can help peers choose healthier lives: "Our players must maintain their focus on reaching their goals and avoid the temptations and distractions that could lead them astray." University of Kentucky head baseball coach Nick Mangione said, "A coach will have the opportunity to impact more young people in 1 year than the average person does in a lifetime," and called using NIL money for prevention an "easy" choice.

A University of Kentucky student-athlete featured in the initial content, Cassidy Roe, told peers to "stay true to yourself and not let others influence you." Mark Birdwhistle, senior vice president for health and public policy at the University of Kentucky, and Eric Friedlander, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, also endorsed the partnership and the campaign's evidence-based approach.

Coleman noted several operational details: the social-media effort initially focuses on ages 13–26 because of platform use agreements (though he said the commission’s broader engagement efforts will reach other demographics), and the campaign includes creative work developed with a Florida-based partner that Coleman said demonstrated impact elsewhere. He also said his office is "in active litigation against TikTok for that very reason," citing concerns about underage access to platforms.

The announcement did not include specifics on metrics or independent verification of all claims made at the podium; for example, Coleman said Kentucky now "has more treatment beds for inpatient treatment than any state in our nation," a statement presented at the event without supporting documentation in the remarks. Organizers said campaign content would begin to roll out immediately in a phased schedule and that more partnerships and materials are forthcoming.

The session concluded with a brief question-and-answer exchange on timing and strategy; Evans reiterated a staged marketing rollout and Coleman thanked attendees and urged safety on the snowy trip home.