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1 / 28#28. Daggett County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 0.9 per 100 people
--- 98.1% lower than state average
--- 97.9% lower than national average
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Utah
When Purdue Pharma first began sales of OxyContin in the late 1990s, it was advertised as relief for cancer patients and people with chronic pain. Aggressive marketing fueled the drug's popularity, along with that of other opioid pain management drugs on the market. But as the company touted OxyContin to physicians, it downplayed the drug's addictiveness, according to confidential Justice Department reports obtained by news organizations, leading to widespread use that has fueled an opioid epidemic across the U.S.
More than 645,000 people have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional data shows just under 80,000 people died in 2022 alone.
Opioid prescriptions have decreased dramatically over the past decade as physicians and public health officials learned about the dangers of OxyContin and other opioids prescribed for pain management. In 2020, the most recent year with data available, the national opioid dispense rate reached 43.3 per 100 people, the lowest rate ever recorded.
A 2022 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that counties with higher dispensing rates had more cases of opioid misuse and dependence. The study suggested that reducing prescriptions at the local level can lower a community's rate of opioid abuse or misuse.
Other studies, however, have suggested that decreasing prescriptions may have fueled a new phase of the opioid epidemic: the rise of synthetics like fentanyl. In 2020, synthetics accounted for 82% of all opioid deaths.
It's also important to note that, as awareness has grown about the dangers of dispensing opioid prescription painkillers, more health care professionals are also prescribing medications like Suboxone–which contains buprenorphine and naloxone—for the treatment of addiction and opioid use disorders. While Suboxone is also an opioid medication, it works differently than typical opioid painkillers, blocking the effects of more powerful and addictive opioids to deter intentional misuse.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ophelia broke down counties in every state with the highest opioid dispense rates. In the case of a tie, the county with the higher population and higher raw number is ranked higher. Data was available for 98% of counties in the United States. Overall in Utah, the opioid dispensing rate was 48.4 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Utah stand.
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2 / 28#27. Rich County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 7.4 per 100 people
--- 84.7% lower than state average
--- 82.9% lower than national average
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3 / 28#26. San Juan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 14.8 per 100 people
--- 69.4% lower than state average
--- 65.8% lower than national average
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4 / 28#25. Wayne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 18.8 per 100 people
--- 61.2% lower than state average
--- 56.6% lower than national average
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5 / 28#24. Wasatch County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 20.3 per 100 people
--- 58.1% lower than state average
--- 53.1% lower than national average
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6 / 28#23. Tooele County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 20.7 per 100 people
--- 57.2% lower than state average
--- 52.2% lower than national average
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7 / 28#22. Morgan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 22.8 per 100 people
--- 52.9% lower than state average
--- 47.3% lower than national average
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8 / 28#21. Millard County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.9 per 100 people
--- 42.4% lower than state average
--- 35.6% lower than national average
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9 / 28#20. Box Elder County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.1 per 100 people
--- 35.7% lower than state average
--- 28.2% lower than national average
BUI LE MANH HUNG // Shutterstock
10 / 28#19. Emery County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.7 per 100 people
--- 34.5% lower than state average
--- 26.8% lower than national average
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11 / 28#18. Cache County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.7 per 100 people
--- 28.3% lower than state average
--- 19.9% lower than national average
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12 / 28#17. Uintah County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.3 per 100 people
--- 25.0% lower than state average
--- 16.2% lower than national average
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13 / 28#16. Juab County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 37.1 per 100 people
--- 23.3% lower than state average
--- 14.3% lower than national average
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14 / 28#15. Sanpete County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.3 per 100 people
--- 20.9% lower than state average
--- 11.5% lower than national average
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15 / 28#14. Utah County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 40.1 per 100 people
--- 17.1% lower than state average
--- 7.4% lower than national average
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16 / 28#13. Summit County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.9 per 100 people
--- 13.4% lower than state average
--- 3.2% lower than national average
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17 / 28#12. Davis County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.5 per 100 people
--- 6.0% lower than state average
--- 5.1% higher than national average
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18 / 28#11. Grand County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.5 per 100 people
--- 3.9% lower than state average
--- 7.4% higher than national average
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19 / 28#10. Duchesne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.6 per 100 people
--- 3.7% lower than state average
--- 7.6% higher than national average
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20 / 28#9. Kane County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.7 per 100 people
--- 3.5% lower than state average
--- 7.9% higher than national average
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21 / 28#8. Iron County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.6 per 100 people
--- 10.7% higher than state average
--- 23.8% higher than national average
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22 / 28#7. Salt Lake County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.6 per 100 people
--- 10.7% higher than state average
--- 23.8% higher than national average
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23 / 28#6. Garfield County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.4 per 100 people
--- 16.5% higher than state average
--- 30.3% higher than national average
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24 / 28#5. Weber County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.8 per 100 people
--- 21.5% higher than state average
--- 35.8% higher than national average
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25 / 28#4. Washington County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.2 per 100 people
--- 38.8% higher than state average
--- 55.2% higher than national average
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26 / 28#3. Sevier County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 72.7 per 100 people
--- 50.2% higher than state average
--- 67.9% higher than national average
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27 / 28#2. Beaver County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.3 per 100 people
--- 51.4% higher than state average
--- 69.3% higher than national average
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28 / 28#1. Carbon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 125.9 per 100 people
--- 160.1% higher than state average
--- 190.8% higher than national average
