KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s call to legalize fentanyl test strips during the State of the State address this week is reigniting a contentious fight after a previous effort to approve the strips collapsed over opposition from Kansas Senate Republicans.
The strips, relatively cheap at about $1 a piece, detect fentanyl in pills and other drugs, allowing individuals to avoid taking drugs laced with the often-deadly substance, a powerful synthetic opioid. All manner of illegal drugs are now regularly laced with fentanyl, a common method to boost their potency that dramatically raises the chance of a fatal overdose.
But the test strips are illegal under Kansas law, considered drug paraphernalia.
