HOUSTON – There’s a new push in Texas to legalize test strips that detect fentanyl in drugs and possibly save lives.
“A small dose of fentanyl can very well be deadly,” said Dr. Doug Thornton, director of the Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center at the University of Houston.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
“People are buying products that they think are one compound and they really have fentanyl or their analogs within them and that’s what making the fentanyl crisis so prevalent today,” said Thornton.
Fentanyl test strips have been on the market for years, but they’re still banned in Texas.
The test is similar to an at-home COVID test.
“The drug compound that you have needs to be dissolved in the solution, the test strips go in, you wait a specific period of time, and then you see whether it’s positive or not,” said Thornton. “Harm reduction is ways to keep people safer for longer and it doesn’t matter if the people are doing legal things or illegal things.”
The test strips are illegal in Texas under drug paraphernalia laws.
Opponents said it enables drug use.
In December, however, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed his support for the overdose-reversal drug Narcan and fentanyl test strips.
State lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, have filed numerous bills seeking to legalize fentanyl test strips.
State Senator Nathan Johnson of Dallas sponsored SB 86.
“I know people who have lost their kids to what we’re now appropriately calling fentanyl poisoning. We don’t even call it a drug overdose. They’re not intending to take fentanyl,” said Senator Nathan Johnson.
With bipartisan support, Senator Johnson said it’s likely one of the bills will pass this legislative session.
“There were concerns that by allowing people to test the probably illegal drugs they’re using or condoning their drug use, but as we said, that’s not the case. We’re just trying to make sure they don’t die so they can get over their drug addiction,” said Johnson.
The test strips are just one way to lower the risk of overdose. The CDC recommends people and parents have Narcan available, avoid mixing drugs and never take drugs alone.