In a ‘new era' of drug use, Utah is falling behind
Utah is in the middle of overhauling its approach to drugs and homelessness.
At the root of this makeover is one deadly fact: The state has been flooded with a new generation of narcotics that an old set of policies are inadequate to confront.
An unprecedentedly large and lethal influx of fentanyl pills and 'super meth' has forced state officials, not just in Utah, but around the country, to completely rethink their approach to preventing, treating and prosecuting the evolving overdose epidemic.
'It's changing almost everything we've ever thought about drugs,' author Sam Quinones told the Deseret News. 'What we need to understand is that this is a new era.'
This is the message Quinones, the award-winning author of 'The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth,' plans to bring to Salt Lake City on May 7 during a Solutions Utah conference with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
'Either we've got a demand issue going on here in Utah that we were not aware of ... or we've got more of ... a cartel issue ... than what we would like to admit.'
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson
The visit could hardly come at a better time as Utah finds itself as an outlier in terms of drug overdose deaths with drug seizures of fentanyl and meth continuing to grow.
In 2024, Utah was one of only five states that saw a jump in overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the country as a whole had a 24% decrease in overdoses from 2023 to 2024, Utah had a 5% increase.
This comes after Utah recorded its highest number of overdose deaths ever in 2023. That year there were 606 drug overdose deaths in Utah, with 290 of those involving fentanyl, according to reports from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Along with this tragic record, Utah law enforcement are seeing significantly more fentanyl enter the state and stay here.
In 2020, Utah task forces of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area seized over 49,000 dosage units of fentanyl. That increased sevenfold to 330,000 in 2021 before quadrupling to 1.5 million in 2022, doubling to 3.4 million in 2023 and hitting 4.7 million in 2024 — totaling 95 times the amount of interdicted fentanyl from four years earlier.
The pace isn't slowing down. Utah Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigation have already seized nearly as many dosage units of fentanyl in the first four months of 2025 as they did in the entire year of 2024.
But potentially the most worrying statistic is that, unlike in past years, around half of those drugs were destined for Utah markets instead of just passing through the state, according to Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson.
'That causes me great alarm,' Anderson said. 'Either we've got a demand issue going on here in Utah that we were not aware of ... or we've got more of ... a cartel issue ... than what we would like to admit.'
No one has been harder hit than those living on Utah's streets.
In 2023, the No. 1 cause of death for people experiencing homelessness in Utah was drug overdose, accounting for 35% of the 216 homeless deaths recorded that year, compared to 5% of deaths in the general population.
The fatality rate associated with fentanyl — which is 50 times stronger than heroin — has flipped the consensus approach to homelessness on its head, according to Quinones.
No longer can localities justify permanent encampments or 'housing first' programs that offer low-barrier apartment units or shelter space with no requirements for sobriety or treatment, Quinones said, because doing so is a death sentence.
'The problem is now, if you leave people on the street to find readiness to hit rock bottom, meth will drive them mad, and fentanyl will kill them before any readiness for treatment ever takes place,' Quinones said.
After spending more than 10 years reporting in the towns most impacted by drugs, Quinones has concluded that what places like Utah need to do is develop replacements for the approaches refined in a pre-fentanyl America.
One solution Quinones has seen take hold in some counties is to use jail-time for arrested individuals as a forced detox period to encourage recovery and treatment upon release.
Recalling one individual who was arrested with 94 warrants against him, Anderson agreed that law enforcement needs additional resources 'to break the cycle' by helping people get sober 'in a humane way,' potentially with a 30-day jail stay, to decrease the chances that arrested individuals exit and immediately look for ways to get more drugs.
'The No. 1 cause of homelessness is a catastrophic loss of family.'
Rep. Tyler Clancy
Utah Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, who has spearheaded recent efforts to transform the state's goals on homelessness, is also on board. Many fentanyl addicts use the drug 8-10 times every day, said Clancy, who is a detective with the Provo Police Department.
'We're fundamentally misunderstanding the depth of this addiction and misunderstanding the danger of fentanyl,' Clancy said. 'When someone's in the absolute thick of addiction, it's mandatory treatment or death or destroying their life or leaving citizens on the streets of our cities to be subject to disorder and crime.'
During the last legislative session, Clancy sponsored HB199, which would allow first responders to connect overdose survivors to treatment resources while prohibiting syringe exchange programs in certain areas, and HB329, which would require shelters to maintain a zero-drug policy while enhancing criminal penalties for drug distribution in the surrounding areas.
Both bills passed the Legislature unanimously and will take effect on May 7. They were accompanied by HB87, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gwynn, R-Farr West, which would make the trafficking of 100 grams or more of fentanyl a first degree felony. The bill also became law with a unanimous vote in both chambers.
'If you're caught with fentanyl, 100 grams or more, we will treat you as if you are coming to our communities trying to kill our people,' Anderson said. 'That is what happens with overdoses and so therefore we will hold you accountable.'
During the first two months of 2025 before HB87 was passed, Utah law enforcement encountered 47 individuals in the Salt Lake City area who would have qualified for the new felony designation, Anderson said.
In response to Utah's growing number of overdoses, Cox tapped Anderson in October to head the new Utah Fentanyl Task Force, which has the goal of reducing drug overdoses by 25% before 2029.
The initiative hopes to rebuild Utah's approach from the ground up with groups focused on improving the state's drug data, revamping long-term recovery programs, conducting public outreach about the dangers of fentanyl and increasing police presence.
There are already signs that this renewed focus is bearing fruit, according to Anderson. With more officers to disrupt key drug distribution areas, the price of fentanyl has increased from $1 per pill to $10 per pill, Anderson said.
Anderson's office believes this contributed to what they expect to be a 3% decrease in overdose deaths during the final quarter of 2024, which was not included in the CDC survey.
But as fentanyl faces pressure from law enforcement 'it's actually being overtaken by meth,' Anderson said. 'Word about fentanyl is actually getting out.'
To avoid playing whack-a-mole with new drug variants, the state needs to increase efforts to address the root of drug supply as well as drug demand, according to Anderson.
A newly secured border under the Trump administration is expected to help cut off some trafficking, Anderson said, pointing out that 'half of those that we pick up dealing the drugs are illegal immigrants.'
But local solutions must focus just as much on demand as they do on supply, Quinones found while researching his book in towns like Portsmouth, Ohio.
'Frequently towns need municipal recovery as much or more than they need drug addiction recovery,' Quinones said.
This kind of recovery comes in unlikely forms. One of Quinones' favorite solutions is community swimming pools, which he said are a perfect example of the kind of public space that bring people together and encourage healthy habits.
In addition to investing in public recreation, Quinones said counties have experimented successfully with setting aside areas of jails as rehab pods, where inmates can successfully detox to reduce recidivism.
But jails and prisons are far from the best place to treat the problem of drug use, according to Amanda Alkema, the behavioral health director at the Utah Division of Correctional Health Services, which oversees the medical care of the state's roughly 6,500 prison inmates.
'When there is illicit drug use going on in the prison, it's not always also the right place to try to detox somebody,' Alkema said. 'A prison's never going to really provide a therapeutic environment.'
More funding could help move the state toward Quinones' vision of designated detox areas, Alkema said. About two-thirds of prison inmates have substance use disorders, including around 1,500 who have opiate use disorder, according to Alkema.
To be effective, these funds would need to help provide comprehensive care, Alkema said. Currently there is only one mental health medication prescriber for every 170 patients with serious mental illness in Utah prisons.
However, more funding and forced detox can only accomplish so much, according to Clancy. Ultimately, America and Utah's drug and homelessness problem finds its source much closer to home.
'The No. 1 cause of homelessness is a catastrophic loss of family,' Clancy said, quoting Alan Graham, founder of the Community First! homeless village in Austin. 'That is a huge thing we're seeing, not just with our neighbors who are homeless, but across the country, we're becoming more and more disconnected from one another.'
After all, Clancy said, the opposite of addiction — which seeks isolation and shuns accountability — is community, and if there's anything Utahns can rally behind it's that.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Food expert warns ‘one of the riskiest items in the grocery store' seems healthy but can make you deathly ill
Your good health habit could actually get you seriously sick — and you wouldn't know until it's too late. While experts unanimously agree that we should all be eating more fresh, whole foods, a food policy professor has a warning: Danger lurks in your grocery store's produce aisle. Not all fruits and veggies are created equal, and a popular choice for easy meals that save you time could come with the price of contamination. 3 Prewashed bagged greens are one of the riskiest items in the grocery store. Scott Habermann – 'Prewashed bagged greens remain one of the riskiest items in the grocery store,' Darin Detwiler, a professor of food policy at Northeastern University and author of 'Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions,' told Huffington Post. 'When you look at past outbreaks, bagged salads have been a leading cause of foodborne illness, with some outbreaks resulting in hospitalizations, kidney failure, and even death.' Those pre-mixed bagged salads can harbor pathogens like listeria, salmonella, and E. coli and pose a higher risk for contamination through the supply chain and are among the worst offenders for food safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food poisoning symptoms from bacteria like listeria or E. coli — which cause infections in the gastrointestinal tract — include nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. According to a 2024 report in the Journal of Foodborne Illness, leafy greens are credited with 'up to 9.2% of known pathogen-caused foodborne illnesses' in the U.S, resulting in over 2.3 million cases of illness each year. What makes these speedy veggies particularly dicey is that heat is required to kill pathogens — and salads are typically eaten raw, making it difficult to reduce the risk of foodborne illness once they reach consumers. Contamination of these mean greens can occur at different stages of production. Produce can be contaminated during lettuce collection by pathogens in the water, soil, or air, or by wild or domesticated animals. Leafy greens are sometimes grown near large-scale cattle operations, a proximity that increases the likelihood that E. coli, salmonella, and listeria could be introduced through contaminated irrigation water. 3 Produce can be contaminated during collection by pathogens in the water, soil, or air, or by wild or domesticated animals. Pormezz – Detwiler cites manure lagoons, large pits where livestock waste is stored, as a common source of food contamination. 'Runoff from manure lagoons can seep into irrigation canals and contaminate fields with deadly bacteria like E. coli,' he said. Post-harvest, lettuce can be compromised through human handling, contaminated equipment, or water used to remove soil. Typically, lettuces from various farms are processed in a centralized area, meaning your bag of greens is more of a menagerie of fetid potential than a single source. 'Greens from different farms are mixed, washed, and packaged together, so one contaminated leaf can impact thousands of bags across multiple states,' said Detwiler. 3 Consider ditching bagged greens entirely and opting for whole heads of lettuce or loose bunches Dan Dalton/KOTO – The large vats that facilitate this washing are also an effective way to spread bacteria. To prevent the proliferation of pathogens, greens must be kept cold; if lettuce is not consistently kept at these cooler temperatures throughout the supply chain, bacteria can easily breed and reach store shelves. But refrigeration just slows bacteria growth, it doesn't kill them. Washing greens is also ineffective at removing pathogens. In fact, doing so also double down on the danger, as doing so can introduce contamination from the sink, utensils, equipment, and the compromised hands of the washer themselves. What's a leaf-eater to do? Consume carefully. Consider ditching bagged greens entirely and opting for whole heads of lettuce or loose bunches. He recommends whole heads of lettuce or spinach, which have less surface area for contamination. Just rinse the leaves under cold running water to remove dirt and surface-level bacteria. If you're bag or bust, Detwiler advises buyers to skip greens that appear wilted, slimy, or discolored and avoid those in packages that look wet, as these signs could indicate improper storage. Further, avoid subjecting your greens to drastic temperature changes. Keeping them in a hot environment or even on the counter at room temperature can create an environment for bacteria to grow and spoilage to take hold. Finally, stay up to date on recalls and double-checking expiration dates, only buying greens that you plan to use within 2 days.
2 days ago
Long Island's last duck farm is quacking again after losing its entire flock to the bird flu
AQUEBOGUE, N.Y. -- Doug Corwin knew there was a problem at his family's commercial duck farm in Long Island when he spotted scores of dead or lethargic birds during a barn inspection in January. Within days, Crescent Duck Farm became a casualty of the global avian flu outbreak, one of many farms around the U.S. that had to cull their entire flock, sending the prices of eggs and other agricultural commodities soaring. Now the more than century-old farm — the last duck farm remaining in a New York region once synonymous with the culinary delicacy — is cautiously rebuilding. But for Corwin, a 66-year-old fourth-generation farmer, it's not enough to bring the farm back to its 100,000-bird capacity. With ducks hatched from eggs spared from slaughter, he's working to preserve the unique lineage of fowl that's allowed his family's farm to thrive even as others on Long Island fell by the wayside — all while worrying that another flu outbreak would finally wipe him out. 'All I know is I don't want to be hit again,' Corwin said. 'If I go through this twice, I'm done as a duck farmer.' For months, Corwin and his reduced staff have been thoroughly sanitizing the farm's dozens of barns, clearing out hay and debris, and replacing feeders, ventilation systems, wooden and metal structures and more. At the end of May, the first wave of roughly 900 young ducks arrived from a nearby farm where they had been carefully raised in quarantine these last few months. Another batch of 900 arrived last week and some 900 more will soon make their way to the roughly 140-acre (55-hectare) farm in Aquebogue, which is tucked among the vineyards and agricultural lands of Long Island's North Fork, about 80 miles (129 km) east of Manhattan. By the end of next summer, Corwin hopes the first ducks will be ready to be processed and brought to market. But he says he won't rush the reopening. It will be many more months — if ever — before the operation, which processed about 1 million ducks for consumption annually, returns to full capacity, he said. 'I keep telling people I'm running a high hurdle race,' Corwin said. 'I've got a lot a lot of steps to get back to where we were.' Since 2022, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in all 50 states, leading to more than 1,700 recorded outbreaks affecting nearly 175 million birds, according to the most recent tally from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak at Corwin's farm shows how this strain has inflicted more damage on a wider range of species than past variants, said Dr. Gavin Hitchener, director of Cornell University's Duck Research Laboratory, located a short drive away in Eastport. Ducks have generally been less prone to serious illness and death than chickens and turkeys, he said. H5N1 is also vexing American cattle farmers after the virus jumped from fowl to cattle last year. 'Something has changed in the virus' makeup that has made it more virulent,' Hitchener said. With no end to the bird flu pandemic in sight, Corwin worries he won't be able to weather another outbreak. The farm received federal compensation for its euthanized ducks, but it wasn't nearly close to the market value of the birds — never mind the expense of rebuilding in a high cost region that also includes the Hamptons, he said. Corwin hopes the federal government will, at long last, require poultry operators to vaccinate their livestock against bird flu. It's an uphill climb, given the Trump administration's deep skepticism of vaccines and the long-standing opposition of far larger, industrial poultry operations, he acknowledged. 'I would sleep an awful lot better at night. But right now I'm very nervous,' Corwin said. 'We're just playing with deck chairs on the Titanic.' The ducks newly arrived to the farm are crucial to its revival. Fully grown and approaching breeding age, the cohort of white Pekin ducks were all that survived from the more than 15,000 eggs state officials allowed the farm to spare from the winter culling after they tested negative for bird flu. That means they and their progeny carry on the unique genetic makeup the farm has honed over generations of selective breeding to build its reputation. Established in 1908 by Corwin's great-grandfather, Crescent Duck Farms has been the island's lone commercial duck operation for the better part of a decade. But in the early 1960s, Long Island boasted more than 100 farms producing about two-thirds of the nation's duck output. 'I feel I owe it to the ancestors of farmers who've been here all these years and have come this far to just make a go of it,' Corwin said. 'I want to make Long Island proud.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Long Island's last duck farm is quacking again after losing its entire flock to the bird flu
AQUEBOGUE, N.Y. (AP) — Doug Corwin knew there was a problem at his family's commercial duck farm in Long Island when he spotted scores of dead or lethargic birds during a barn inspection in January. Within days, Crescent Duck Farm became a casualty of the global avian flu outbreak, one of many farms around the U.S. that had to cull their entire flock, sending the prices of eggs and other agricultural commodities soaring. Now the more than century-old farm — the last duck farm remaining in a New York region once synonymous with the culinary delicacy — is cautiously rebuilding. But for Corwin, a 66-year-old fourth-generation farmer, it's not enough to bring the farm back to its 100,000-bird capacity. With ducks hatched from eggs spared from slaughter, he's working to preserve the unique lineage of fowl that's allowed his family's farm to thrive even as others on Long Island fell by the wayside — all while worrying that another flu outbreak would finally wipe him out. 'All I know is I don't want to be hit again,' Corwin said. 'If I go through this twice, I'm done as a duck farmer.' Make way for ducklings For months, Corwin and his reduced staff have been thoroughly sanitizing the farm's dozens of barns, clearing out hay and debris, and replacing feeders, ventilation systems, wooden and metal structures and more. At the end of May, the first wave of roughly 900 young ducks arrived from a nearby farm where they had been carefully raised in quarantine these last few months. Another batch of 900 arrived last week and some 900 more will soon make their way to the roughly 140-acre (55-hectare) farm in Aquebogue, which is tucked among the vineyards and agricultural lands of Long Island's North Fork, about 80 miles (129 km) east of Manhattan. By the end of next summer, Corwin hopes the first ducks will be ready to be processed and brought to market. But he says he won't rush the reopening. It will be many more months — if ever — before the operation, which processed about 1 million ducks for consumption annually, returns to full capacity, he said. 'I keep telling people I'm running a high hurdle race,' Corwin said. 'I've got a lot a lot of steps to get back to where we were.' Bird flu pandemic still looms Since 2022, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in all 50 states, leading to more than 1,700 recorded outbreaks affecting nearly 175 million birds, according to the most recent tally from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak at Corwin's farm shows how this strain has inflicted more damage on a wider range of species than past variants, said Dr. Gavin Hitchener, director of Cornell University's Duck Research Laboratory, located a short drive away in Eastport. Ducks have generally been less prone to serious illness and death than chickens and turkeys, he said. H5N1 is also vexing American cattle farmers after the virus jumped from fowl to cattle last year. 'Something has changed in the virus' makeup that has made it more virulent,' Hitchener said. With no end to the bird flu pandemic in sight, Corwin worries he won't be able to weather another outbreak. The farm received federal compensation for its euthanized ducks, but it wasn't nearly close to the market value of the birds — never mind the expense of rebuilding in a high cost region that also includes the Hamptons, he said. Corwin hopes the federal government will, at long last, require poultry operators to vaccinate their livestock against bird flu. It's an uphill climb, given the Trump administration's deep skepticism of vaccines and the long-standing opposition of far larger, industrial poultry operations, he acknowledged. 'I would sleep an awful lot better at night. But right now I'm very nervous,' Corwin said. 'We're just playing with deck chairs on the Titanic.' Carrying on local heritage The ducks newly arrived to the farm are crucial to its revival. Fully grown and approaching breeding age, the cohort of white Pekin ducks were all that survived from the more than 15,000 eggs state officials allowed the farm to spare from the winter culling after they tested negative for bird flu. That means they and their progeny carry on the unique genetic makeup the farm has honed over generations of selective breeding to build its reputation. Established in 1908 by Corwin's great-grandfather, Crescent Duck Farms has been the island's lone commercial duck operation for the better part of a decade. But in the early 1960s, Long Island boasted more than 100 farms producing about two-thirds of the nation's duck output. 'I feel I owe it to the ancestors of farmers who've been here all these years and have come this far to just make a go of it,' Corwin said. 'I want to make Long Island proud.'
