News & Commentary

Addiction prevention, education, and drug enforcement activities typically receive funding from settlements with opioid manufacturers. The conversation about how and where to spend settlement funds has overlooked a vital demographic: the survivors of the opioid epidemic.

It's time for Kentucky jails and prisons to end pandemic isolation measures for vaccinated people to keep families connected, prepare people for reentry into the workforce, and support people through treatment for substance use disorder.

Saturday, March 13, 2021, marks the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death. It wasn’t only the tragedy of a young and promising life stolen that moved Kentuckians to action from Hazard to Paducah; it was also the insult of injustice. 

Lawmakers are pushing two bills that would weaponize the criminal legal system to silence a population crying out for justice. Both House Bill 479 and Senate Bill 211 would be used to threaten protesters with excessive prosecution, deterring them from exercising their right to free speech.

We're calling on Fayette County Attorney Larry Roberts to drop charges against peaceful protesters.

As the War on Drugs continues, Kentucky remains near the top when it comes to racial disparities for arrests for marijuana possession, with Black Kentuckians 9.4 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white Kentuckians.

We shared written testimony with lawmakers due to limited Capitol access and public health recommendations to avoid large gatherings as a result of COVID-19.

Kentuckians should not have to buy their freedom, especially during a public health emergency.

The ACLU team had a busy week in Frankfort during the ninth week of the 2020 legislative session. Here are some specific highlights about key pieces of legislation we are following and what our team accomplished the week of March 1 to March 7.