By FireRescue1 Staff
SALT LAKE CITY — Firefighters, the ACLU and a gay-rights group were granted the right to intervene in a months-long legal spat between Utah and the Drug Enforcement Agency over access to a drug database.
The DEA initially subpoenaed the state’s Department of Commerce regarding an investigation of a physician suspected of dealing prescription drugs in July. The agency now wants access to Utah’s controlled substance database, but firefighters objected to what they call a violation of their privacy.
Fire union President Jeremy Robertson said, “Law enforcement should be required to get a warrant.” However, the DEA argues that a subpoena should be sufficient.
As part of an investigation looking into missing medications from ambulances, firefighters’ prescription drug histories were also investigated. Two firefighters were accused of stealing drugs, although the allegations were later dropped, reported FOX13.
“They had unfettered access to my prescription records,” Robertson said. “My personal cabinet to see what I might be taking.”
Gay rights group Equality Utah argued that access to such records could harm transgender people or reveal someone’s HIV status.
“What the DEA is doing now is using administrative subpoenas, which are really just pieces of paper that they fill out on their own authority and send to Utah demanding access to records. We think a judge should be involved first,” ACLU attorney Nate Freed Wessler said.
The database contains more than 70 million prescriptions issued by medical professionals since 1995.
“It’s our position there should be strong protections under the constitution before law enforcement can get access,” Wessler said.