There’s some good news from the state of Utah: drug deaths, including fentanyl, are finally trending down. “One year after its formation, the Utah Fentanyl Task Force met to review the latest data and align next steps,” shares the announcement. “Preliminary statewide data show drug-related deaths are down 9.4% over the most recent 12-month reporting period…This is one of our second-term goals: to reduce Utah drug deaths by 25% by 2029. We’ll keep building a safer Utah by targeting traffickers, increasing overdose survivability, and connecting more Utahns to prevention and treatment resources.” Fentanyl overdoses have hit the Uintah Basin community hard in recent years. In December of 2023, Uintah County Sheriff Steve Labrum and TriCounty Health Director Kirk Benge came together to announce that fentanyl was responsible for a major spike in overdose deaths in the area with as many deaths in 6 weeks as would typically be seen over almost a year. All, including local officials, have been involved in the battle to reverse the overdose trend and the new data is promising.
