Attorney General Coleman teams up with UK Athletics, Kentucky colleges for youth-centered drug prevention
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 21, 2025) — Attorney General Russell Coleman teamed up with coaches from the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University Wednesday to launch the “Better Without It” campaign, a first-of-its-kind, youth-centered drug prevention program. Through NIL agreements and other partnerships, student-athletes, influencers and other stakeholders across Kentucky will promote a positive message about a drug-free lifestyle.
Student-athletes like UK men’s basketball’s Trent Noah, UofL basketball’s J’Vonne Hadley and WKU basketball’s Tyler Olden will engage with young Kentuckians across social media and other platforms, as well as on campus and at sporting events. The statewide education campaign will encourage young people to be independent, make their own decisions and stay informed about the dangers of drug use.
“To reach Kentucky’s young people with an effective statewide drug prevention message, we need the right messengers. That’s why we’re partnering with some of the biggest names in Kentucky’s college athletics to tell the Commonwealth’s young people they are truly better without it,” Coleman said. “Whether you’re a Hilltopper, you throw an ‘L’ or you ‘bleed blue,’ this is our chance to come together to save lives.”
“Every day, I get to work with young people who use their ambition and potential to succeed,” said UK baseball coach Nick Mingione. “We’re proud to be part of this team that will help save lives across Kentucky. To bring a pennant home to Lexington, we need young people who are better without it.”
In addition to Noah, UK student-athletes participating in the campaign include UK volleyball’s Eleanor Beavin, UK football’s Cutter Boley, UK baseball’s Evan Byers and UK women’s basketball’s Cassidy Rowe.
“Partnering with our state universities and student-athletes is a great way to reach our youth to promote substance use prevention,” said Eric Friedlander, Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary and Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission member. “In Kentucky, we take our sports rivalries seriously, but when it comes to ensuring our kids have the brightest futures possible, we are all Team Kentucky.”
“Today, we celebrate a partnership between some of our Commonwealth’s best institutions that will help save lives. I’m grateful to the attorney general, the Opioid Commission and everyone who brought down barriers for this powerful project,” said UK Senior Vice President for Health and Public Policy Mark D. Birdwhistell.
Last September, the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission unanimously approved the attorney general’s two-year, $3.6 million proposal to establish the research-backed youth education campaign. You can read the attorney general’s remarks here.
In addition to the “Better Without It” campaign, the prevention program will promote existing school-based programs and amplify the work of the commission to support youth-focused prevention efforts.
To date, the commission has distributed more than $50 million in settlement funds to combat the drug crisis, directly helping Kentuckians overcome addiction and promote long-term recovery.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.