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Florida legalizes fentanyl test strips
Jonee Lewis reports.
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - Florida has become the latest state to legalize fentanyl test strips.
The small strips of paper can detect the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.)
Senate Bill 164 revises the definition of the term "drug paraphernalia" to exclude certain narcotic-drug-testing products used for a specified purpose.
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"The decriminalization of fentanyl testing strips is a huge win for helping persons with a substance-use disorder survive this illness," William Atkinson, Executive Director of Recovery Epicenter Foundation said.
Atkinson says he’s been in recovery since 2006. He now works to help others find their path to recovery.
Fentanyl test strips are no legal in Florida.
"We meet people at all different stages of their recovery. They're in active use, they've recently been stabilized and or they've been maintaining for a long period of time and don't want to return to active use or need additional services," Atkinson said.
He says the fentanyl strips give them another life-saving tool in their fight. The Florida Department of Health reports last year there were over 5,900 reported fatal overdoses.
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The CDC says the fentanyl test strips are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm. Sponsors of the bill say that’s the hope.
"We have so many people who are dying of fentanyl overdoses, and they're taking drugs that they don't even know have been in them. They might be buying Adderall pills from their friend, and they don't realize that there's fentanyl in them," State Sen. Lori Berman, (D) Boynton Beach said.
The law went into effect July 01, 2023.