This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

First read this:

Five bills advance to combat overdoses as Utah 'health emergency' — Lee Davidson | The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... state lawmakers advanced a package of five bills Thursday to declare overdoses of prescription pain killers as a "health emergency," and offer a variety of steps designed to save the lives of addicts. ...

" ... 'Over 400 people a year are dying right here in Utah every year' from overdoses, 'more than traffic fatalities' or gun-related deaths, said Rep. Carol Moss, D-Holladay. Utah ranks fourth overall in such deaths, and No. 1 for them among military veterans.

" 'These are not statistics that we want to boast about,' she said. ..."

Then this:

Mormon church against Madsen's Utah marijuana bill — Robert Gehrke | The Salt Lake Tribune

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposes a bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen that would make Utah the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana, citing unintended consequences that could come with use of the drug. ..."

Then this:

" ... It may be easy to dismiss this as just pandering — a progressive senator bringing an issue her base cares about (marijuana) into something unrelated. But in fact there's growing research that shows Warren is onto something.

"The idea: Medical marijuana is an effective painkiller, so it can substitute some opioid painkillers that have led to the current abuse and overdose epidemic. And since marijuana doesn't cause deadly overdoses and is less addictive than opioids, replacing some use of opioids with pot could prevent some overdose deaths. ..."