Mark your calendars for Utah Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26th from 10AM to 2PM across the state.
Sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Take Back Day provides the opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of unused and expired prescriptions. When unused prescriptions are left in the house, you can unintentionally become a dealer. Appropriate disposal of prescriptions prevents any misuse of these medications.
SALT LAKE CITY – Today, the co-chairs of the Utah Opioid Task Force hosted the 5th Annual Solutions Summit: Instead – Connecting for a Cure. Over 5,000 students, educators, healthcare officials, and community members were in attendance at the event presented by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, DEA 360 Program Director Brian Besser, and others.
The summit, which was held in two parts, focused on combatting the opioid epidemic in the state of Utah.
The morning session was created with the intent to educate high schoolers on the dangers of opioid use and give them real-time resources to stop addiction before it starts. Students enjoyed musical numbers, educational videos, and stories from families who had lost loved ones to the crisis.
The general session, which was held in the afternoon, focused on enabling communication and support across the various communities involved in combating the crisis.
While the co-chairs were pleased with the success of the summit, they stressed the importance of continuing this effort beyond today’s events. “The way we keep the momentum going is by connecting to the communities,” DEA District Agent in Charge for the State of Utah Brian Besser said. “We are wearing our tires out traveling around the state. We spend most of our time finding those who are hardest hit, listening, and learning how we can help.”
