OKLAHOMA CITY — Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma signed a bill into law that would decriminalize the possession of fentanyl test strips in an effort to prevent overdoses, according to the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Democratic Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, introduced House Bill 1987 and said, "Oklahoma is facing a serious addiction crisis and synthetic fentanyl is extremely deadly. The hope of this bill is to save vulnerable Oklahomans who are struggling with addiction.”
The bill will allow Oklahomans to carry fentanyl test strips without them being considered drug paraphernalia. Rep. Dollens considers this a harm reduction bill that could help prevent overdoses — which the representative points out are very often deadly when fentanyl is involved.
Fentanyl overdoses nationwide were reported to be at 67,325 in 2021, according to a National Safety Council Injury Facts report. This report states that the drug category most frequently involved in preventable opioid overdoses and growing at the fastest pace is "synthetic opioids," which includes fentanyl.
In Oklahoma, the State Department of Health considered fentanyl one of the leading substances involved in the state's drug overdose crisis.
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