LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The call is growing louder for a Kentucky state agency to reverse course and make one medication for opioid addiction easier to access.

Kentucky has the 7th-worst overdose death rate in the U.S., according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation . it is a nonprofit that focuses on health policy research.

Kentuckians in recovery, doctors and lawmakers tell WHAS11 one outdated state drug policy will risk even more lives.

Buprenorphine, better known by brand names such as Suboxone or Subutex, is taken to treat opioid use disorder.

It is designed to help with severe withdrawal symptoms, yet advocates say its use is highly restrictive in Kentucky, frustrating physicians like Dr. Michelle Lofwall at the University of Kentucky.

“Buprenorphine reduces the mortality from

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