Substance use is a serious concern in Utah, which recorded its highest overdose death count on record in 2023 even as deaths fell in much of the rest of the nation. Key figures:

• 606 drug overdose deaths in 2023, a 14.3% increase from the year before and the highest on record, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
• 290 fentanyl-involved overdose deaths in 2023.
• Fentanyl became the most common drug in Utah overdose deaths for the first time in 2023.
• Nearly half of 2023 overdose deaths involved fentanyl.
• The overdose death rate has stayed roughly flat over the last decade.
• Prescription opioid and heroin deaths have declined, replaced by fentanyl.

Utah’s overdose picture has shifted dramatically over the past decade. Prescription opioids and heroin once dominated, but fentanyl is now the leading cause of overdose death, driving the state to a record total in 2023.

Utah expanded Medicaid in 2020 after voters approved expansion, and its Medicaid program covers the full range of addiction treatment. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) oversees the addiction treatment system. Of the 258 facilities listed below, 190 accept Medicaid.