HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Test strips to help drug users identify fentanyl and other potentially deadly chemicals would no longer be classified as illegal paraphernalia under a bill passed unanimously by the Pennsylvania House on Monday.
The legislation to amend the state's Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act can help reduce overdoses, said the sponsor, Rep. Jim Struzzi, R-Indiana.
“If we can give people a simple tool to give them a second chance, we need do that,” Struzzi said in floor remarks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is far stronger than heroin, gets added to other drugs to make them cheaper, stronger and more dangerous.
Related
Supporters say the change in law will help drug users avoid overdoses by testing for fentanyl without the risk of being charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
The state would follow Philadelphia’s similar move in August 2021. The city decriminalized the tests through executive order and subsequently handed out about 104,000 test strips.
Fentanyl test strips are meant to test urine, but Nicole Bixler, founder of Operation In My Back Yard, a harm reduction organization in Philly, said people can also use them to test drugs with water. Similar to a pregnancy or COVID-19 test, it will show a positive result if exposed to the opioid.
“[Test strips] benefit people who had a substance use disorder and people who use recreationally,” she said, adding that fentanyl and tranquilizers are becoming more and more common in areas like Kensington.
“I don't think a lot of people realize that there is a lot of fentanyl that is cross-contaminated in the supply here in Philly,” she said. “Somebody who might just want to be going out and having a good time and doing some sort of drugs occasionally might end up dying from an unintentional overdose.”
Related
“We’ve seen fentanyl contamination in almost every substance,” echoed Shawn Westfahl, overdose prevention and harm reduction coordinator for Prevention Point Philadelphia. “We’ve seen it in pressed pills. We’ve seen it in powdered cocaine, rock cocaine.”
A little bit of fentanyl can be lethal, Westfahl explained, and test strips have been proven to save lives.
“And more importantly … community organizations are seeing just more and more overdoses,” said Dr. Andrew Best Jr., director of the Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction division in the city’s Department of Public Health.
In 2012, there were nine reported deaths related to fentanyl. In 2020, that number jumped to 979, Best said. The goal, he said, is to prevent overdose deaths, open the conversation and help connect people with resources.
“Whether that individual is actively using and wants a fentanyl test strip to test their substance, or if there’s someone teetering back and forth and struggling with recovery, these fentanyl test strips have provided us an end to have that conversation with them,” he continued.
Related
“This is a tool just like how Narcan was this taboo conversation years ago,” Bixler noted. “Now it’s kind of everyday talk with certain crowds.”
The measure was sent to the state Senate for its consideration.
For resources related to addiction and other problems, visit the following for help:
• Prevention Point Philadelphia
• Substance Use Philadelphia
• Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• Savage Sisters Recovery
• Never Use Alone Hotline: 1-800-484-3731