A fentanyl test strip answers one question: whether fentanyl is present in a sample at a detectable level. It cannot say how much is there, whether the drug is potent, whether other dangerous adulterants are present, or whether any amount is safe to take.
That distinction has become more consequential. Federal funds can no longer be used to purchase test strips for distribution to people who use drugs, according to NPR and KFF Health News reporting, a reversal of guidance CDC and SAMHSA issued in 2021.
