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Utah Opioid Task Force focuses on what’s next

December 5, 2018

The Utah Opioid Task Force, co-chaired by Senator Mike Lee, DEA District Agent in Charge Brian Besser, and Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes, had its quarterly meeting to discuss several topics for next steps following the Utah Solutions Summit, which focused on the opioid crisis in the state of Utah. Here’s a brief recap. 

  • Opioid Summit Report: Attendance surpassed expectations. The goal was to reach 5,000 between the morning session geared toward students and the afternoon spent resourcing the community. In reality, over 9,000 students and community members showed up and participated in the event. The big takeaway from the Summit was the powerful impact it had on the students in attendance. Many students download both the SafeUT App and the FENDMovement App – each of which has proven effective in students with helpful resources.
  • Dr. Eric Garland from the University of Utah College of Social Work spoke on mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement (MORE). The research and evidence on this are showing remarkable results. It shows one can reduce the physiological response to opioid addiction, which is a huge answer for those who are suffering.
  • Gary Tennis, President of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL), provided a great perspective on national drug laws and included information regarding police-assisted recovery from opioid addiction. 
  • Chief Tom Ross, of the Bountiful Police Department, spoke about what police deal with on the streets. A pilot program is being developed to create options for addicts to go to the intensive treatment programs in lieu of criminal charges. This is a course of action the AG’s office has been assisting with and promoting.

Following the meeting, Assistant AG Scott Reed, Coordinator of the Utah Opioid Task Force, took time to share with KSL-TV about the success of Solutions Summit. You can watch the interview below.

 

Utah Attorney General's Office

Utah AAG Scott Reed Honored for 20-year Role in Utah Drug Courts

ReedScottWSALT LAKE CITY May 27, 2016 – Utah Assistant Attorney General Scott Reed was honored this week by Salt Lake County for his role with Utah’s drug courts over the last two decades. Started in 1995 after Reed attended a drug court conference with Greg Skordas and Craig Bunker in 1995, drug courts were started to help reduce recidivism and improve the lives of those facing addiction.

“The work that Scott Reed has done with the drug courts—from helping to start the program to developing it over the last twenty years—has helped change the lives of thousands of people,” said Attorney General Sean Reyes. “By helping drug court participants—high risk, high-need individuals with addiction problems—stay clean and beat their addictions, the drug courts help individuals transform their lives for good and positively re-integrate with society instead of relegating them to incarceration or likely re-offense without any healing or addiction recovery. Scott is well-deserving of recognition for his efforts, and we congratulate him for his decades of service.”

Read more about the event here.

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