Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Fentanyl is now the leading cause of overdose deaths in Utah.
- In 2023, 606 Utahns died from overdoses, with fentanyl involved in 47.9%.
- Utah's health department recommends increased naloxone availability and prevention efforts.
SALT LAKE CITY – Fentanyl, a powerful and dangerous drug, is now the leading cause of overdose deaths in Utah.
In a new report from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, looking at a decade of overdose data starting in 2014, researchers found the highest number of drug overdose deaths on record occurred in 2023 when 606 Utahns died. Fentanyl was involved in 47.9% of those deaths, a 14.3% increase from the year before, according to the report.
"Fentanyl is extremely potent, so much more lethal, but a much smaller amount is needed to be lethal than other drugs like oxycodone or heroin," Megan Broekemeir, drug overdose prevention research coordinator with the Office of the Medical Examiner, said.
Broekemeir says Utah began to see significant increases in fentanyl overdose deaths in 2020, as the drug funneled into the state. Since then, overdose deaths from the drug have only increased.
"In the beginning, we were seeing just a lot of people who were unknowingly ingesting the fentanyl; they believed they were looking for oxycodone or it was mixed with another drug," Broekemeir said.
"But with the introduction of it and, and more people getting it into our state, I think that has greatly impacted the availability and the price of fentanyl, making it more attractive to people who use drugs," she said.
According to the report, Utah had an 1160.9% increase in deaths involving fentanyl over the last decade, with the Southeast and Tri-County health districts seeing the highest rate of drug overdose deaths since the overdose crisis began in the early 2000s.
Over the years, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services has focused on education and prevention resources in those areas.
"We appreciate the dedication and support of Gov. Cox and the Utah State Legislature in addressing the overdose crisis," DHHS executive director Tracy Gruber said in a statement released Thursday.
"There's much work to do, but DHHS is committed to preventing unnecessary suffering and death in our families and communities and helping all Utahns have fair and equitable opportunities to live healthy and safe lives," she said.
As DHHS continues to focus on targeted prevention and treatment services for Utahns at higher risk of drug overdose, the report recommends increasing the availability of naloxone and drug test strips in areas with a higher burden of deadly drug overdoses. Broekemeir says those areas include the Salt Lake and Weber-Morgan health districts.
"The highest rate that we see for fentanyl-involved overdoses is among people ages 25 to 34," said Broekemeir. "And I just like to remind people that when we're talking about this data, that these are people's lives, and it's so the impact doesn't just stay in that family, but it spreads to community members and friends."
