ARKANSAS, USA — Spanish version: Para español haga click aqui.
Fentanyl test strips are now legal to obtain and use in Arkansas thanks to a law that passed in the state legislature last year.
The Fentanyl Enforcement and Accountability Act was passed in 2023, adding penalties for crimes involving drugs and officially declaring that illegal controlled substances, including fentanyl, were a public health crisis.
The act says that the Arkansas State Crime Lab performed autopsies on 496 drug overdose deaths in 2021, with 58.6% of those involving fentanyl. Those numbers are up from 2016, in which there were 207 drug overdose deaths, with 3.8% involving fentanyl.
Fentanyl strips, initially illegal in the state of Arkansas and classified as "drug paraphernalia," were legalized by the act.
"Fentanyl test strips are a critical, life-saving tool, and they are now legal in Arkansas," Rep. Nicole Clowney shared to Instagram on Jan. 23.
"Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing our communities today. Because of the high number of substances that are secretly laced with fentanyl, the lethal drug is often ingested without its user even knowing. Fentanyl test strips can change that. These small strips of paper can quickly detect the presence of fentanyl in other drugs, and they cost around $1/strip," Clowney added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the strips help prevent overdoses.
"Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables)," the CDC said.
The CDC adds that fentanyl test strips provide people who use drugs with important information about fentanyl in the illicit drug supply.
Clowney says that it's important to spread the word on these life-saving devices.
"Please spread the word to anyone you know who may be helped by this information. Your doing so can, and will, save lives," Clowney said.
For more information on fentanyl test strips and how to use them, click here.
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