From Deseret News archives:

State plan tackles medication misuse

Utah No. 1 in nonmedical use of prescription drugs

Published: Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007 12:06 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Misuse of medications has become a deadly epidemic in Utah that in 2006 killed more people than car crashes. The 476 drug-related deaths were attributed to prescription, over-the-counter and illicit drugs, but nearly two-thirds of the deaths involved legal drugs.

On Tuesday, health and other officials unveiled a plan to educate patients and physicians, beef up investigation and curb the number of deaths, bolstered by funding from the Legislature's 2007 "Pain Medication Management and Education Bill."

Utah Department of Health executive director Dr. David Sundwall said he believes the resulting effort will "enable us to save hundreds and hundreds of lives in Utah. That's not an overstatement."

The most common legal drugs involved in the deaths were narcotic pain relievers, including methadone, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl. Those who died averaged 42 years of age and were divided about evenly between male and female in urban and rural communities statewide. State Medical Examiner Dr. Todd Grey said most of the deaths involved more than one drug.

And 2007 "is on track for being worse," Grey said. Almost one-fourth of his office's workload involves drug deaths.

Story continues below
Brandon Mecham and Mackenzie Lamb know all about the danger of becoming addicted to prescription drugs — and the subsequent battle to reclaim their lives. Lamb, now 21, became addicted to prescription pain medicine and later to heroin. He overdosed four times but was one of the lucky ones. Two of his friends died from pain medication overdoses.

Now clean, "I know every day I've got to do hours and hours of work to stay sober. It's not comfortable work," he said.

"I didn't grow up thinking I want to be drug-addicted," said Mecham, who was injured at work and ended up addicted first to hydrocodone and then to oxycodone. Sober since June 2004, he said he's still dealing with broken relationships and now has a criminal record. The chronic pain he still suffers is nothing compared to the pain his addictions brought him, he said.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bradley Daw, R-Orem, appropriated $150,000, which was matched by funding from the Utah Labor Commission. Health officials also hope to secure other funds for the effort, said state epidemiologist Dr. Robert Rolfs.

The bill-prompted plan has several components:

Recent comments

I am a chronic pain sufferer with rhuematoid arthritis and live in...

Kristi Hall | Sept. 6, 2007 at 6:30 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Cougars beat Utes, 26-23

What a great game...I'm really surprised by all the hate between both...

Fun game.

Cougars beat Utes, 26-23

Congratulations to the cougars on a tough win and thanks for a great game....

Fun game.

Cougars beat Utes, 26-23

Hall's comments were pathetic. Those comments may just be the defining...

Cougars beat Utes, 26-23

I do not understand all the whining and name calling. Cougar fans: quit...

Gators beat FSU again

I am so so sorry to see Coach Bowden legacy be potentially tarnished by the...

I just think it's funny that the BCS (that's right, the BCS) awarded us the...

Cougars beat Utes, 26-23

BYU has much to be happy about. The Defense just played a great game against...

Cougars beat Utes, 26-23

BYU's offensive play calling was once again predictable, especially in the...

Advertisements