Kentucky's top prosecutor joined other law enforcement officials on Thursday to call for higher penalties for heroin dealers and better treatment options for overdose victims.
Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway, who is running for governor in 2015, made the announcement a few weeks before state lawmakers return to Frankfort for the 2015 legislative session. Earlier this year, lawmakers were unable to pass a heroin bill despite widespread support from both political parties.
Conway said any heroin legislation in 2015 should allow first responders to give Naloxone to overdose victims without fear of civil liability. He also called for a Good Samaritan law that could allow people to avoid drug possession charges if they call for help during an overdose.
Kentucky's heroin overdose deaths increased 60 percent in 2013.