Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
An inexpensive tool is now available legally in Arkansas to detect fentanyl laced into other street drugs.
Until recently, strips designed to test for the presence of fentanyl were considered drug paraphernalia in many states, including Arkansas.
However, a new law went into effect in Arkansas this month that decriminalized possession of the strips.
Fentanyl overdose numbers are growing with many of them blamed on the illicit “lacing” of the powerful drug into other substances to speed up and increase the intensity of the “high.” Drug dealers have said that the fentanyl effect keeps customers coming back.
Various street drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, counterfeit Xanax and Adderall are often laced with a small amount of fentanyl.
A user of a drug that has been “laced” might ingest fentanyl unknowingly and that is extremely dangerous since only a very small amount of fentanyl can be fatal.
Authorities in the field say even a small miscalculation in the amount of fentanyl used during the lacing process can mean death for the user.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid approved for treating severe pain, often prescribed for patients suffering from the pain caused by advanced cancers.
While fentanyl is normally manufactured in a controlled and regulated environment by recognized pharmaceutical companies, an increasing amount is reportedly being made illegally by drug dealers to lace other substances.
In one DEA test done on fake prescription pills being sold on the street, the agency found six out of ten contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.
According to a DEA study, most people who purchase fentanyl laced drugs have no idea the potent pain killer has been added to the product they are purchasing for use and that is where the test strips can be potentially lifesaving.
The strips are said to have been 96 correct in detecting fentanyl in a series of tests.
The strips may not be widely available yet in drug stores and other locations in Arkansas, but they can be purchased on-line.
The strips are now available in 40 states and in many of the health departments in those states make the strips available at no cost.
Officials at the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock told KTLO/Classic Hits and the Boot news that there are no plans in place now to distribute the strips through county health offices.
Unlike Arkansas, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services has taken a variety of innovative steps to ensure the test strips and Narcan are readily available.
Narcan is used to counter the effects of drug overdoses.
There are even vending machines set up in locations in Oklahoma distributing both test strips and Narcan at no cost. The vending machine locations can be found on the internet.
Oklahoma citizens can also obtain the strips and Narcan free of cost by mail and with few questions asked.
The strips and Narcan are not touted as a cure for drug addiction but are seen as “harm reduction” measures.
In one article, the writer pointed to the music festival industry. It was not unusual the author said to see 1-to-5 overdose deaths at a festival, but he pointed out the number has gone down to zero at most festivals because of tools like the test strips and Narcan.
Non-drug users report carrying test strips and Narcan in case they encounter a person suffering from the effects of an overdose.
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