After seeing this I certainly am in favor of trying to help. I may not change laws but I am in favor of awareness about addiction and how incarcerating addicts does not stop the sale of drugs. You must stop the need for the drugs. And treatment costs taxpayers less than incarceration and also can keep productive citizens somewhat employable. There are drug dealers who do it for money. There are dealers who do it for drugs. There are dealers who deal to other addicts as a favor because they are all addicts and they share their supply at a lower cost with one another.
I personally think looking at the whole of a person and their situation is more justice than "you did that...you get this". And I am hopeful that is the type of judge and prosecutor that ends up with this case.
Although a judge has some discretion when it comes to sentencing, the judge will stay within the statutory guidelines for a crime (with a few rare exceptions). If convicted of trafficking, therefore, there is almost a guarantee there will be some time spent in prison for your relative.
The attorney your relative has might find some way to get the charges reduced, which is probably the best your relative can hope for.
Kentucky has increased the penalties for drug traffickers because the abuse of heroin and fentanyl has become a huge problem in your state. It is not common for the drug dealers to be addicts, by the way. Instead, the dealers get rich off the addicts by selling them the illegal drugs.
I said earlier that I have mixed feelings about sending addicts to prison. I still do.
Good luck to your relative.