Politicians frequently pay lip service to stopping fentanyl overdoses while continuing to prohibit things that could actually stop them or implement policies to make them less likely. The latest example comes from Iowa, where harm reduction kits can't contain fentanyl test strips. The reason: State law classifies fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia, which is illegal.
Fentanyl test strips are exactly what they sound like—they can be used to test drugs for the presence of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic substance often cut into other drugs unbeknownst to their users. Fentanyl began showing up largely in heroin and other opioids, but now is routinely found in cocaine and other drugs. Not knowing fentanyl is present in drugs can lead to dosage miscalculations, overdoses, and fatalities.
