Utah Fentanyl Task Force releases first report: Overdoses, enforcement, and ideas for change

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Fentanyl Task Force, established in 2024, has released a report detailing their findings in the first several months of operations. This task force was created by Utah Governor Spencer Cox and is overseen by the Utah Department of Public Safety.

The report shared by the Utah Fentanyl Task Force outlines the current state of fentanyl in Utah, detailing how often it is located and the substantial spread throughout the state. It also shares data involving the role fentanyl has played in fatal overdoses in Utah. Finally, the report shares recommendations to address the rapid increase in distribution and use and increase resources.

Outside of the report, the Utah Fentanyl Task Force shared some of their major accomplishments in the last several months, including record drug seizure data from the State Bureau of Investigation, Utah’s first integrated fentanyl dashboard, a new statewide fentanyl education campaign, and the first successful application of H.B. 87, a law that increased penalties for fentanyl trafficking.

The state of fentanyl in Utah

Samples of controlled substances are sent to the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services (UBFS) for testing. In 2022, fentanyl was the fourth-most common substance found in submitted samples. In 2023 and 2024, it took the number one spot as the common substance present in the samples that UBFS tests.

The report from the Utah Fentanyl Task Force states that because of fentanyl’s “odorless and tasteless character,” it is often mixed in with other drugs to “either mimic another drug or create a more desirable product.” The task force states that some users may be completely unaware of the presence of fentanyl when using substances.

“From 2019 to 2024, the total seizures of fentanyl in dosage units grew by a factor of 125 in Utah; for fentanyl in pounds, seizure totals grew by a factor of 186,” according to the report.

Data reported by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas revealed that in 2019, only 3.36 pounds of fentanyl were seized. The number began increasing drastically, with more than 25 pounds seized in 2021, over 140 pounds seized in 2022, and more than 300 pounds seized in 2023. In 2024, 626.1 pounds of fentanyl were seized in Utah.

Compared to heroin and methamphetamine, fentanyl seizures in Utah have increased rapidly. Although the data reports more pounds worth of methamphetamine seizures overall, the numbers have stayed consistent and even dipped lower at times. Heroin seizures have seen a rise but increases and decreases remain within 100 pounds of the initial report in 2019.

Fentanyl’s role in overdose deaths

When it comes to fentanyl-related deaths in Utah, the report from the Utah Fentanyl Task Force states that fentanyl is involved in nearly half of all drug overdose deaths. Data from the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner (ME) shows that in the last several years, fentanyl has remained among the top drugs involved in fatal overdoses.

In 2022, fentanyl was involved in 35% of overdose deaths that were accidental or undetermined (meaning the ME could not determine whether it was accidental or intentional). In 2023, fentanyl was the most frequently occurring substance in fatal overdoses, involved in 48% of these deaths. This number dipped slightly in 2024 to 43%, with methamphetamine reclaiming the top spot.

Analogues of fentanyl have also caused a handful of deaths in Utah. According to the report, Carfentanil was present in five deaths between 2017 and 2018 and fewer than five deaths in 2024. Nitazenes were found in six deaths since 2023 in Utah. Since 2014, 10 fatal overdose deaths involving xylazine occurred in Utah, six of which occurred between 2023 and 2024.

The report states that “nearly all local health districts in Utah have experienced considerable increases in fentanyl overdose deaths.” The largest increase between 2020 and 2024 occurred in the Tricounty Health Department’s area, which includes Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah counties.

Recommendations for change

The Utah Fentanyl Task Force reviewed the 2021 Utah Fentanyl Report from the Utah Drug Monitoring Initiative. The report outlined 10 recommendations to address the “growing concerns” surrounding fentanyl. In March 2025, the task force invited 45 stakeholders to evaluate progress.

As a result of surveys given to these stakeholders, experts reviewed the collected data and created the following recommendations to address concerns that still exist regarding fentanyl use in Utah.

1. Provide funding for local health departments to utilize public awareness campaigns which promote positive messageing, concentrate messaging to high-risk areas, and encourage the public to seek substance use treatment.
2. Provide long-term funding to secure naloxone availability for all Utahns. Consider the implementation of naloxone vending machines as a tool for easy distribution.
3. Continue distributing fentanyl test strips (FTS) through local health departments and remove any local barriers which limit the distribution of FTS and other harm reduction resources.
4. Provide a rapid, low-cost, publicly available drug checking program.
5. Distribute excess naloxone kits to emergency medical services so that responders can freely hand out extra kits on scene of an incident to others at high risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose.
6. Support community partners to provide more services that link clients to care throughout the state.
7. Prioritize ongoing Medicaid funding as a primary source for people seeking treatment.
8. Expand definitions for grant funding to be used on indirect patient care (i.e. building expansion, offering longer clinical hours or providing room and board fees while in treatment),
9. Provide grief and loss education in human services curricula, and offer no-cost continuing education units for current practicioners.
10. Establish community advisory boards including people with lived epxerience to provide their input for policies and community interventions to reduce drug use and drug overdose deaths.