A Cop and a Social Worker Walk Into Utah’s Overdose Crisis
“It’s not your father’s drug culture anymore..."
Tyler Clancy is an anomaly in the hallowed halls of Utah politics — a young state representative at just 25, he embodies a resolve steeped in hard-earned personal and professional experience.
A police officer with the Provo City Police Department, Clancy has stood at the frontline of the drug crisis, witnessing firsthand the ravaging effects of addiction. The stark reality of administering naloxone to overdose victims amidst grim surroundings is his everyday existence:
Yet it’s his decision to embrace the nuanced notion that harm reduction is part of a larger solution to drug addiction that truly distinguishes him — a narrative recently illuminated in a Salt Lake Tribune piece, “A Provo cop and a social worker are teaming up to end overdoses in Utah.”
That’s why I was so excited to talk with him on this week’s video podcast:
Clancy's venture into drug policy reform wasn’t the result of meticulous planning; indeed, it sprang from a place of frustration. It was earlier this year when he stumbled upon an astonishing statistic — programs in the state were distributing ten needles for every one returned.
Rather than resisting change, he committed himself to seek clarity in the chaos, leading to an unprecedented dialogue among harm reduction advocates, treatment providers, and others who typically inhabit silos. The outcome? House Bill 199, a groundbreaking measure intertwining harm reduction and paths to recovery, a testament to the power of honest, often uncomfortable conversations.
In Utah, where the numbers tell a dire story — 606 fatal overdoses in a single year, with 35% of deaths among the homeless attributable to these tragedies — Clancy concedes that the shift from heroin dominance to fentanyl has redefined the landscape, with long-term addiction having been replaced by the urgent fight for survival.
For Clancy, this isn’t merely an abstract battle against a backdrop of statistics; it’s rooted in a profound personal history. Growing up in South Carolina, he lost childhood friends to fentanyl-laced substances before even hitting adulthood.
“Funerals had always been for older people,” he reflects, grappling with the reality that death does not discriminate. The haunting specter of the 2018 overdose of rapper Mac Miller, who was poisoned by the very substance that now claims so many, lingers in his mind.
House Bill 199 stands as a testament to his commitment for solutions, including an acknowledgement that while border control and law enforcement are part of the solution, educating young people about the dangers of drugs — and helping addicts survive long enough to recover — is at least half the battle.
Navigating the complexities of this reality requires Clancy to find harmony between policing and compassion. He understands the importance of law and order, yet worries that felony records for nonviolent drug offenders are a “scarlet F” that perpetuates the cycles of despair.
This tension is not a theoretical for Clancy. On a recent Christmas Eve, a father approached him, gratitude etched on his face as he recalled his son—a meth-addicted “frequent flyer” Clancy knew all too well.
“We’ve been praying for him to come home,” the father confided, a reminder that behind every statistic lies a human story. This perspective drives him to advocate for second chances, challenging the stigma that often hampers recovery efforts.
Clancy, now into his third year as a state representative, embodies the urgency that a younger generation feels while watching the fentanyl crisis reshape societal norms.
“It’s not your father’s drug culture anymore,” he warns. Once again, he’s all too right.
How One Man’s Struggle is Shaping West Virginia’s Fight Against Opioids
Upon taking office, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey created an important new role: director of substance abuse prevention and recovery.
To fill that position, he turned to someone who had lived the struggle himself.
Josh Barker had spent years in public service, balancing a career in politics and emergency response. But after the deaths of his father, mother, best friend, and even his dog, he turned to the painkillers he had long avoided.
What started as a few leftover pain pills became a desperate addiction — 30 to 40 pills a day.
Barker overdosed—twice. “I thought I was getting Xanax from somebody, and it wasn’t Xanax. It was fentanyl. And I overdosed,” Barker said.
EMTs from the same ambulance service he once directed saved his life with Narcan. The second time, it took days on a ventilator before he woke up.
McCuskey reassured Barker that his job would be there when he was ready. He kept that promise, supporting him through rehab and recovery. But the system itself wasn’t so forgiving. When Barker tried to fill a prescription meant to help him stay clean, insurance wouldn’t cover it. “Just months ago, I could get 120 Percocets without a problem,” he told a pharmacist. “But when I come in here to get a drug, to get help, there was no help.”
Barker stayed sober. And when McCuskey became Attorney General, he saw an opportunity — not just for Barker, but for West Virginia. “Josh’s true passion was helping people,” McCuskey said.
Now, Barker is touring treatment centers, exposing gaps in care, and holding bad actors accountable. His goal is simple: to make sure others find the help he once struggled to get.
I had the privilege of meeting with Josh Barker and Attorney General McCuskey in January, and I believe Barker’s journey from addiction to advocacy is one of redemption, resilience, and purpose.
What started as a downward spiral of loss and self-destruction has become a powerful testament to the impact of second chances. You can read the full news report here.
News Roundup…
MISSISSIPPI: AG Fitch Welcomes Seventh MS College as One PillCan Kill Partner
FOX NEWS: CIA uses drones to sniff out cartels and fentanyl labs in Mexico: US official
OREGON: Moving beyond addiction: In eastern Oregon, drug use often lurks in the shadows
KFF HEALTH NEWS: An Ice Rink To Fight Opioid Crisis: Drug-Free Fun vs. Misuse of Settlement Cash
NEW YORK TIMES: An Effective Treatment for Opioid Addiction Exists. Why Isn't It Used More?
CHASING LIFE with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: A Breakthrough in Pain Management Without Opioids
WALL STREET JOURNAL: How Dirty Money From Fentanyl Sales Is Flowing Through China
ILLINOIS: Springfield sees rise in accidental overdoses despite fentanyl decline
OKLAHOMA: Editorial by Enid News & Eagle: Fentanyl crisis won't be solved at the border
WASHINGTON: Tri-Cities saw major shift in fentanyl overdose deaths in 2024. What’s behind it?
FLORIDA: Father of Tampa man who died from fentanyl overdose calls for justice for his son
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: The New War on Drugs: The Fentanyl Crisis Requires a More Comprehensive Strategy than Threats and Tariffs
WEST VIRGINIA: New AG Staffer Will Address Barriers To Substance Abuse Recovery Statewide
MISSOURI: Missouri accepting bids to test schools’ wastewater for fentanyl
UTAH: 14-month-old boy treated for fentanyl overdose, 5 people charged
VIRGINIA: Three Northern Virginia men sentenced for distributing over 400 grams of fentanyl
INDIANA: USI nursing students partner with Public Safety to install Narcan box on campus
TEXAS: Narcan distribution sites increase on campus, West Campus
COLORADO: Free Narcan accessed by the thousands since December debut
MASSACHUSETTS: 'Hopefully you never need it, but just in case.' Berkshire Harm Reduction installs 100th naloxone box in county
KENTUCKY: Attorney General Coleman Teams Up with Kentucky College Athletics for Youth-Centered Drug Prevention
WASHINGTON D.C.: Thousands of DHS agents shift to deportation instead of drugs, weapons and human trafficking
Finally …
Thank you for reading this newsletter. And don’t forget to check out past episodes of the podcast, including conversations with:
Journalist Ben Westhoff, the author of Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic.
Tony Mattivi, Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), shares his insights and experience.
Rolling Stone senior writer Paul Solotaroff authored a piece called “Inside Snapchat's Teen Opioid Crisis.”
Former Army Intelligence Officer Dale King uses CrossFit to treat addicts.
Ed Bisch, founder of Relatives Against Purdue Pharma RAPP, took on Big Pharma after his 18-year-old son Eddie overdosed on Oxycontin in 2001.
Dr. Kristin Martin, an accomplished osteopathic physician with extensive experience in emergency medicine, family medicine, and addiction medicine.
Former Alabama and Georgia strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran talks about his battle with addiction.
Charles Fain Lehman, a crime and drug policy researcher at the Manhattan Institute, discusses marijuana legalization.
Reuters senior correspondent based in Mexico, Drazen Jorgic.
Freelance journalist Philip Eil talks about his debut book, Prescription for Pain: How A Once Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer.’
Emmy-Winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality and chef, Andrew Zimmern talks about the hidden dangers of alcohol.
Author and public policy advocate Ryan Hampton talks about his book, Fentanyl Nation: Toxic Politics and America’s Failed War on Drugs.
Carole Trottere, whose only child died at the age of 30 from fentanyl poisoning, on how the opioid epidemic leaves cllective grief and a burdened generation.
Dive into the critical conversation about opioid settlement funds with expert Aneri Pattan, Senior Correspondent, KFF Health News.
Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President at SAM & Co-Founder at the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, talks about what to expect from the new presidential administration.
David Ovalle, a reporter for The Washington Post's Health & Science team who covers opioids and addiction, to discuss the ongoing fentanyl crisis in America.
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Together, we can stop the poisoning!