Fentanyl is an extremely potent, lab-grown opioid that can be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is commonly added to other drugs because it’s cheap to manufacture but can be lethal even in small amounts.
Fatal overdoses from the drug in Utah spiked 1,160% between 2014 and 2023. While deaths have come down slightly from that peak, experts say fentanyl is still a significant concern. Preliminary data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services shows 236 Utahns died from the drug in 2025.
SIGNS OF AN OPIOID OVERDOSE:
- Unconsciousness or inability to wake up
- Slow or shallow breathing or difficulty breathing
- Discolored, purplish skin, especially the nails or lips
- Small, constricted pupils that don’t react to light
From the National Institutes of Health
WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE IS OVERDOSING:
- Call 911
- Use Naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug, if available
- Try to keep the person awake and breathing
- Stay with them until emergency assistance arrives
From the National Institutes of Health
Utah has a Good Samaritan law, which makes it a mitigating factor in sentencing for Utahns who call 911 to report an overdose and were also using drugs, so long as they stay with the person who is overdosing until medical assistance arrives and cooperate with authorities.
ADDICTION RECOVERY SUPPORTS & SERVICES:
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- Al-Anon/Alateen of Utah
- Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA)
- Cocaine Anonymous of Utah
- Crystal Meth Anonymous
- Fit 2 Recover
- Jacky's Recovery Support Services
- LDS Addiction Recovery Program
- Lifering
- National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
- OpiCure Foundation
- Recovery Dharma
- Rehab
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Salt Lake Alcoholics Anonymous
- SMART Recovery
- Start Your Recovery
- United Wasatch Area of Narcotics Anonymous
- Utah Alcoholics Anonymous
- Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA)
- Utah Naloxone
The list above is based on resources compiled by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Utah. It is not all-encompassing and should not be seen as an endorsement of any particular path for recovery.
HARM REDUCTION SERVICES:
Experts suggest that Utahns who use opioids or have loved ones who use opioids carry Naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug. To find Naloxone, you can visit the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ "Stop the Opidemic" website here. You can take a 15-to-20-minute training on how to use Naloxone here.
Fentanyl test strips are a legal and low-cost way for people to test substances for fentanyl. To find fentanyl test strips, you can visit the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ "Stop the Opidemic" website here. To learn how to use fentanyl test strips, you can watch a video from Utah Naloxone here.
You can find a list of syringe exchange providers — who may also offer Naloxone kits, wound care supplies, referrals to treatment and care and HIV and hepatitis C testing — here.
