The issue is prevalent in Utah County, where authorities said the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force has seized over 25,000 fentanyl pills over the past two weeks.

Bonnie Hargreaves with the Utah County Health Department warned that opioid overdoses could happen to anyone who has access to taking them, whether they are users of illicit drugs such as fentanyl or people taking prescribed pain medication.

Fentanyl can be particularly dangerous because it is mixed into many street drugs, she added. 

The Utah County Health Department is taking measures to educate the public on the issue, offering free hour-long courses that teach participants how to prevent and respond to an opioid overdose using naloxone.

“We just feel like it’s important for everyone to be aware of what naloxone or Narcan is and how to use it,” Hargreaves said. “We’ve really done a big push the last few years to get Narcan out to the community. If it could be in every first aid kit and everyone knew how to use it, that would be ideal for us.” 

Individuals or local businesses may email the department at nalozonesaves@utahcounty.gov to schedule a class. Walk-ins are also accepted on the second floor of the health department in Provo, according to Hargreaves.

Hargreaves said that during an opioid overdose, too much of the drug hits the brain receptors, slows down the central nervous system and impacts a person’s breathing.

Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, is a nasal spray that is pressed into the end of the nose of a person suffering from an overdose. Hargreaves said the mist will knock the opioids off the brain receptors and fill the receptors.

“Narcan is really effective at doing that,” she said. “And so, depending on how much opioid is in the body, a person may need more than one dose of Narcan. It also depends on the opioid that they have taken. Fentanyl is a much stronger opioid, and so if someone overdoses on fentanyl, they might need two or three doses of Narcan.” 

Hargreaves said it can be an act of kindness to someone else to be educated on using Narcan and carrying it with them. 

“If you’re passed out, you can’t administer it to yourself,” she said. “And so, the way I look at it is it’s just being an educated bystander and being able to help someone in need, and hopefully they can get the help that they need after you’ve saved their life.”