Utah to receive nearly $4 million in opioid settlement
Utah is set to receive nearly $4 million as part of a national settlement with a marketing firm over their role in the opioid epidemic.
The settlement comes after Publicis Health, which helped opioid manufacturers like Purdue Pharma market and sell opioids, was investigated for its role in the nation’s prescription opioid crisis. According to the CDC, nearly 645,000 people have died in the U.S. from opioid overdose from 1999 to 2021.
The total settlement is $350 million, with $3.93 million of that going to Utah. The money will be split between the state and participating counties to address the crisis through addiction treatment, prevention and recovery.
More than 4,800 Utahns have died from prescription opioid overdose in the last 20 years, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Historic cannery rebuilt after being saved brick by brick
After being purchased and moved brick by brick to save it from demolishment, a historic Utah cannery is scheduled to open this month.
Built in 1925, the West Point Cannery Factory was used as a tomato canning facility for a few decades, then sat dormant until it was set to be demolished in 2015.
The owner of family-owned Sunnyfield Farm purchased the cannery to save it, then spent several years carefully deconstructing the building to preserve the original bricks and wood.
In 2022, the parts were transported near the farm in Eden, Utah to be rebuilt, with some adjustments to meet modern-day building codes. The 7,500-square-foot building will now be leased as commercial space and will open later this month.
