Here are Utah’s efforts to combat the drug crisis

According to data prepared on the basis of data provided by the Commission for Utah Department of Health and Human Services. That’s two years after the synthetic opioid reached that level nationwide.

The 290 people who died in Utah last year after taking fentanyl represent a 71% increase in two years and more than five times the number of such deaths reported in 2019.

AND new state task force he held his ground first meeting earlier this monthas officials promised to combat fentanyl with a comprehensive approach, ranging from disrupting drug trafficking networks to reducing demand.

And earlier this week, Gov. Spencer Cox announced that Utah would do just that help President-elect Donald Trump deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Part of the governor’s five-phase plan included working with “the newly formed Fentanyl Task Force on long-term solutions for criminals who were illegally in the state distributing fentanyl.”

Here’s what you need to know about the crisis and what officials and advocates are doing to prevent more overdose deaths:

Why is fentanyl on the rise?

Officials say illegally manufactured fentanyl – a prescription drug up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine – is increasing its use in Utah.

In the state’s illegal drug market, it is often mixed with other drugs, made to look like the authentic pharmaceutical version, or even pressed to look like Flintstones vitamins.

Dustin Gillespie, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency The Salt Lake City District Office said this is because fentanyl is cheap to produce. Gillespie said that while law enforcement has seized a record number of fentanyl pills, there is an “oversupply” of pills in Utah communities.

He added that just one pill may be enough to cause a fatal overdose because the agency’s lab tests showed that 70% of pills contain a potentially lethal dose of two milligrams or more. Gillespie says one pill may contain no fentanyl, while another may contain five times the potentially lethal dose.

How is Utah already trying to help people?

Groups in Utah have a long history of collaboration, with law enforcement focusing on supply chain disruption, while public health officials provide education and resources, and harm reduction programs seek to keep people out of harm’s way.

“It’s a shame we don’t have a solution because we would have done it already,” said Jessica Serfustini, director of health promotion at Southeastern Utah Health Department.

The department’s efforts in Emery, Carbon and Grand counties use evidence-based programs to help reduce the spread of disease and provide a safer route to drug use in both, she added.

This includes education about the dangers of drug mixing and the use of naloxone, emergency treatment for an opioid overdose with injections, and Narcannasal spray version.

Mr. and Mrs Utah Naloxone — founded by state Sen. Jen Plumb — has released hundreds of thousands of injectable doses of the drug.

Plumb, doctor, describes naloxone as a fire extinguisher – how we “keep people alive while they are on the path to better health and well-being.”

What else is needed?

Other safety measures include fentanyl and test strips xylazine — a non-opioid sedative also added to illicit drugs — and the exchange of syringes.

Exchange programs that take back used syringes and offer new ones have been proven to reduce HIV and hepatitis C infection rates and reduce syringe waste, said MacKenzie Bray, executive director of The Salt Lake City Harm Reduction Project. The programs “are still quite controversial,” she said, even though they work.

“People who use syringe exchanges are three times more likely to be treated,” Bray said.

Some advocates would like to see more, such as access to safe supplies and spaces that can be safely used, such as overdose prevention sites in Philadelphia and New York.

While some of Utah’s additional resources may be unlikely to be tapped, the state has made a lot of progress, said Mindy Vincent, a licensed social worker who founded the foundation Utah Harm Reduction Coalition.

The state has “about as many support systems as we can get right now,” she said, although some could use expansion.

Be guided by compassion, a supporter recommends

As the problem persists, empathy is key, said Max Radecky, who runs the syringe exchange program at Odyssey House Martindale Clinic. He said drug abuse often stems from trauma, so it’s extremely important to first see people with substance use disorders as people.

“I just want people to know that these are people,” Radecky said, “and they are your neighbors, brothers and sisters.”

Vincent emphasized that Utahns do not need sympathy because of the behavior, but because of the cause.

“The most effective strategy starts at the individual level,” Radecky said, “and helps people understand that substance use is a disease like any other.”

Where to get help

Test strips are available from various health departments and community organizations. Find a place to get test strips opidemic.utah.gov/fentanyl-test-strips/fentanyl-test-strips-distribution/.

Naloxone and Narcan are available at multiple locations throughout the state and by Utah Naloxone.

Substance use disorder treatment is available through official district suppliers and others mental and behavioral health providers.

Megan Banta is a corporate data reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune, philanthropically supported position. The Tribune retains control over all editorial decisions.