SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge is weighing whether the Drug Enforcement Administration can access a Utah prescription-drug database without a warrant in a case that pits the right to privacy against the need to combat the country’s opioid-drug epidemic.

U.S. District Judge David Nuffer heard arguments Thursday in what he called a fascinating lawsuit over the database that holds records of people’s prescriptions for anti-anxiety and sleep-aid drugs as well as prescription painkillers.

The DEA says searching the records is an important tool in the early stages of their investigations.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and the state of Utah say access without a warrant is a violation of privacy rights.

Almost all states maintain similar databases. Utah is among a minority where state law requires a warrant.