Utah has a new initiative to tackle the fentanyl crisis

Several law enforcement officers and state officials stood on the basketball court at Cottonwood Park on Tuesday morning. The park is along the Jordan River Trail where Gov. Spencer Cox said agents often find people purchasing fentanyl pills. In that setting, Cox announced the state would form a new task force to combat the fentanyl epidemic.

Utah has seen a surge in fentanyl-involved deaths according to recently released data for 2023. Though other parts of the country have seen fatal drug overdoses drop , that has not been the case for Utah and other states in the West.

Since 2019, fentanyl-involved overdose deaths have risen 437% in the state, according to a report published from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The number of pills seized and positive crime lab tests of fentanyl have also increased steadily.

“The number of overdose deaths in 2023 reached the highest number on record in Utah at 606 deaths. Two-hundred-ninety of overdose deaths in 2023 were fentanyl related,” said Cox.

Utah must curb the rise of overdose deaths, he said.

“Our goal with this task force is to reduce demand for prevention and treatment, reduce root causes of fentanyl abuse and disrupt fentanyl trafficking networks,” Cox said. The Utah Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson was asked to lead the task force, which include local, state and federal agencies as well as elected officials.

The story of Mysti Lopez

Mysti Lopez is in long-term recovery from a heroin and fentanyl addiction. At the press conference Tuesday, she said addiction runs deep on both sides of her family and she had hoped she avoided it.

By 15, she used meth. By 21, she was drinking. And by 30, she started using heroin. Eventually, she turned to fentanyl. It was easy to find someone selling it.

Lopez said she eventually reached her lowest moment.

“I had lost everything. My family didn’t want to talk to me. I had overdosed several times.” But instead of dying of an overdose, she said God intervened and she was arrested.

She started on the road to recovery going through the House of Hope, a treatment program, and then graduated from drug court. With an expunged record, she is now in school studying human services with hopes of furthering her education to help others.

Lopez is now 3½ years sober and reunited with her kids.

“Governor, your leadership gives people like me and the countless others who are still struggling and fighting a fighting chance,” said Lopez. “It gives our children hope for a future where fentanyl doesn’t take any more lives, and where recovery is possible.”

What the task force will do

Fentanyl is a synthetic drug — it doesn’t occur naturally. Cox said the majority of it is smuggled into the country by transnational criminal organizations across the southern border. He said the epidemic shows of the ways the Biden administration has failed on border policies.

Now that a lot of fentanyl is in the country, he said it impacts everyone.

Fentanyl addiction transcends where you live, Cox said. If you live in a small town or next to a wealthy neighbor, it does not matter. And when people become addicted to the drug, they cannot stop it without experiencing several withdrawal symptoms.

Cox said state law enforcement officers hear often from individuals who find it “nearly impossible” to stop using fentanyl “due to the overwhelming physical and mental dependence.”

The people who struggle with addiction are not statistics, he said. “They are our neighbors, their parents, workers, friends and even our own kids.”

Anderson said the task force will identify and resolve gaps that currently exist whether they be in prevention or law enforcement efforts.

The task force will focus on raising awareness of the dangers of fentanyl as well efforts to reduce addiction, said Anderson. Coordinating across federal, state and local agencies, the task force will focus on disrupting drug trafficking networks.

“The task force aims to investigate and tackle the social, economic and psychological factors driving fentanyl use,” Anderson said. The task force will bring together individuals from the governor’s office, Utah Attorney General’s Office, the League of Cities and Towns as well as other partners including but not limited to the Utah Department of Corrections and the Medical Examiner’s Office.

On the prosecution side of things, Cox said the state is trying to “make life much worse for those who profiting off of this and try to make life better for those who are suffering from it.”

The goal is not to lock people up forever, but to lock people up until they are safe and receive help, he said.

“We don’t want this to be a scarlet letter that you have to wear for the rest of your lives,” said Cox. “We want to help people get clean and get sober and get back on their feet and get their kids back and get their lives back.”

Throughout the press conference, Cox emphasized it does not matter where you live, the fentanyl epidemic is everywhere.

“This is an important reminder that everybody’s one knee surgery away from being homeless and addicted to fentanyl,” said Cox, referencing the overprescribing of opioids.

He said the task force will also work to address the crisis in rural Utah — the Deseret News previously reported on the fentanyl epidemic in Price where treatment providers said they did not have enough support.

He said he hears that rural communities feel left behind and forgotten in the fight against fentanyl. “As somebody who lives and grew up in rural Utah, it’s something that’s definitely been a concern to me.”

The task force will work on getting more resources to these communities.

“The truth is there’s a lack of resources everywhere and we know that, but especially in our smaller communities,” said Cox. “We’ll be working with them.” He explained through the League of Cities and Towns and via county commissioners and local law enforcement, these communities will be represented.

As funding comes into the state through federal partners and also via settlements from litigation on opioid cases, Cox said they will be able to share that with local communities.

When asked how he would approach the fentanyl issue if elected, Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, also the Democratic candidate for governor, said his administration would work directly with both individuals and families who have experienced overcoming addiction.

“We would invest in education, prevention, and treatment services at the most local levels, strengthening health care and mental health support,” said King in a statement, explaining his priority would be to create spaces that reduce the stigma around addiction as that prevents people from seeking treatment.

“The only way to truly combat this crisis is by addressing its root causes — through stronger health care access, mental health services, and community-based support,” said King.