{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-72.026","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 72.026","heading":"Testing for presence of controlled substances in post -mortem examination --","body":"When required -- Reporting of drug overdose -- Administrative regulations.\n(1) In cases requiring a post -mortem examination under KRS 72.025, the coroner or\nmedical examiner shall take a biological sample and have it tested for the presence\nof any controlled substances which were in the body at the time of death and which\nat the scene may have contributed to the cause of death.\n(2) If a coroner or medical examiner determines tha t a drug overdose is the cause of\ndeath of a person, he or she shall provide notice of the death to:\n(a) The state registrar of vital statistics and the Department of Kentucky State\nPolice. The notice shall include any information relating to the drug that\nresulted in the overdose. The state registrar of vital statistics shall not enter the\ninformation on the deceased person's death certificate unless the information\nis already on the death certificate;\n(b) The licensing board for the individual who prescri bed or dispensed the\nmedication, if known. The notice shall include any information relating to the\ndrug that resulted in the overdose, including the individual authorized by law\nto prescribe or dispense drugs who dispensed or prescribed the drug to the\ndecedent; and\n(c) For coroners only, the Commonwealth's attorney and a local law enforcement\nagency in the circuit where the death occurred, if the death resulted from the\nuse of a Schedule I controlled substance. The notice shall include all\ninformation as to the types and concentrations of Schedule I drugs detected.\nThis subsection shall not apply to reporting the name of a pharmacist who\ndispensed a drug based on a prescription.\n(3) The state registrar of vital statistics shall report, within five (5) bus iness days of the\nreceipt of a certified death certificate or amended death certificate, to the Division\nof Kentucky State Medical Examiners Office, any death which has resulted from the\nuse of drugs or a drug overdose.\n(4) The Justice and Public Safety Ca binet in consultation with the Kentucky State\nMedical Examiners Office shall promulgate administrative regulations necessary to\nadminister this section.","path":["KRS Chapter 72"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=43997","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:33Z","sha256":"d4d86fcb898ff42b5aaadeb4fadf07754aa506035f275d0c9ea3ec23791a6376","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-72.025","next":"us-ky/krs-72.027"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}