Utah will obey a court order to let the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration search a prescription-drug database without a warrant despite a state law designed to protect patient privacy.
Utah Attorney General's Office spokesman Dan Burton says the state disagrees with the order but has decided not to appeal.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah says it is disappointed.
THE ACLU represented a firefighters' union and LGBT group who argued investigators shouldn't have unfettered access to the database. It holds records of medications like the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and sleep aid Ambien as well as opioid painkillers.
The DEA says agents need access early in their investigations amid a national opioid-drug epidemic.
All states maintain similar databases designed to prevent overprescribing. Utah is among a minority requiring a warrant.
