The Fentanyl crisis is spreading across Utah, including the Uintah Basin. Representative John Curtis gave remarks during an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Hearing last week on the Biden Administration’s border policies and their effect on Utah. Curtis shared that since January 2021, there have been 8 million illegal crossings nationwide and more than 6.7 million encounters at our southern border with Fiscal Year 2024 on track to surpass them all. Fentanyl overdose deaths have increased 300 percent over a three year period in some communities as the reach of drug cartels bringing Fentanyl have reached nearly every community in Utah. According to the DEA, there were 541 overdose deaths in Utah in 2022, with opioids attributing to 74 percent of those. In 2020, Fentanyl-related deaths were 122 and in 2019 they were just 54. Curtis was direct in his remarks, stating, “With open borders, they’re not safe. My district doesn’t feel safe, and it’s unacceptable on every level.” To learn about the local Fentanyl crisis with training provided by experts, plan to attend the ‘Facing Fentanyl Crisis At Home’ event tonight at the Uintah Conference Center from 6 to 8pm. This event is free and open to the public.
