CEDAR CITY, Utah — Iron County emergency manager George Colson says I-15 has become a major drug corridor running right through southern Utah.
For years, Colson has received the life-saving medication Narcan from the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. Recently, he found out that the funding for Narcan had run out in November. The Health Department no longer has an opioid program, according to spokesperson David Heaton.Heaton said individual law enforcement agencies and other organizations now need to order Narcan directly from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Colson was able to order Narcan from the DHHS, but was told via email that the"continuation of the funding" for it is"unsure." Iron County’s small sheriff and police departments can’t afford to maintain the supply they need on their own; one pack of two nasal sprays costs anywhere from $40 to $70, said Colson.