Drug overdose declared a public health emergency in Utah

By, Mark Rosa

On Friday, Gov. Gary Herbert signed a concurrent resolution declaring drug overdose a public health emergency in the state of Utah and strongly urges Utah’s Department of Health, Department of Public Safety and Department of Human Services to immediately direct resources to address the crisis.

The resolution sponsored by Rep. Carol Spackman Moss and Sen. Brian E. Shiozawa says that Utah ranks fourth in the nation for drug overdose and first in the nation for drug overdose by a military veteran.

Samantha Easthope, the addiction recovery management program manager for Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, said that from 2000 to 2014 Utah saw a 400 percent increase in deaths due to the abuse or misuse of drugs and that more people are killed by overdose than by falls, firearms and motor vehicle accidents combined.

Emily Carver, a medication assisted treatment coordinator and case manager for Weber Human Services, said that the majority of fatal overdoses in the state are caused by prescription pain medications such as hydrocodone or oxycodone.

Carver is hopeful that support from the resolution funneled into a sustainable, comprehensive public health plan focused on education will result in significant decreases in the number of drug overdose deaths in Utah.

Man calls police on his own marijuana grow operation and production lab

By Mark Rosa

Logan Police deputies discovered a 69 plant cannabis grow operation and THC concentration lab when they arrived at the rental home of Benjamin Benavidez in Young Ward on Friday, at his request to peacefully escort his brother Samuel Benavidez off the property.

Lt. Mike Peterson of the Cache County Sheriff’s Office said deputies smelled cannabis on the Benavidez brothers and gained written consent to search the home. Upon discovering marijuana the deputies secured the location and contacted The Cache-Rich drug task force.

Within 40 minutes task force agents obtained a search warrant and found live cannabis plants, 28 pounds of dried cannabis flowers and a chemically concentrated form of THC known as butane honey oil.

Capt. Curtis Hooley of the Logan Police Department said task force agents found a major production lab intended to concentrate dried cannabis plant material into a more chemically pure and potent form of the psychoactive component found in cannabis, Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

The finished product of the concentration lab found at the Benavidez rental property was a specific cannabis-derivative called butane honey oil, which possesses a THC content four times higher than dried cannabis flower.

Hooley explained that this is the first concentration and production lab he has ever seen and that the emergence of these types of labs into the valley is concerning for the safety of local residents.

“I’m most concerned that they’re manufacturing the THC out of the marijuana through a process that is really quite explosive,” Hooley said. “They use butane to do that and it’s actually caused a quite a few explosions if you look at Colorado.”

Both men were taken into custody but have been released on bail.

Benjamin Benavidez faces felony possession of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and production of a controlled substances charges.

Samuel Benavidez faces charges of use or possession of drug paraphernalia.