Opioid Epidemic

A proposal from the Cicero Institute suggests using a portion of Utah's opioid settlement funds to invest in the homeless campus. Organisations that work in harm reduction are skeptical and say this is not what that money is intended for.

Utah has a combined $56 million in settlement funds that counties are deciding how to spend. Critics question if police gear and wages are the best use of the money — saying treatment and recovery have historically been underfunded.

A review by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project of account ledgers, budget documents, funding proposals and other public records found that a majority of counties in the state have spent little to none of the opioid funding they’ve received.

“Our goal with this task force is to reduce demand through prevention and treatment, address root causes of fentanyl abuse and disrupt fentanyl trafficking networks,” Gov. Spencer Cox said.

Since Utah's Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office hired Cheryl Swapp in 2023, recidivism has dropped sharply.

The awareness campaign for responsible prescription drug use features the faces of local miners in Utah's Emery and Carbon counties.

Plumb’s primary win was the easy part. There’s still an election, the rest of Senate District 9 and the Republican-led Legislature to worry about.

County Mayor Jenny Wilson said it’s not enough to repair the damage to the community but it’s a start.

The latest Utah news for Wednesday morning, April 6, 2022

The latest Utah news for Tuesday morning, Feb. 1, 2022.

Utah is set to receive more than $300 million as part of a national settlement related to the opioid epidemic. One thing lawmakers and advocates agree on is the money should go toward addressing the state’s crisis.

The latest Utah news from Friday morning, Jan. 14, 2022