HUNTSVILLE, Ala — In Alabama, it's against the law to possess drug paraphernalia for the purpose of testing or analyzing a controlled substance but under Senate Bill 168, this restriction on possessing testing equipment, particularly designed to detect the presence of fentanyl, would be removed.
To read SB168 in its entirety, click here.
Many would say this is a good thing, providing more access to things like fentanyl testing strips... and it's a particularly important tool here in Northern Alabama because of all of the overdoses that take place here.
"Absolutely fentanyl is a problem in our community. You know, we've had several overdose deaths just in the last couple of weeks and almost every one of them are connected somehow, possibly to fentanyl," said Executive Director of Partnership for a Drug-Free Community, Wendy Reeves.
According to Madison County Coroner, Dr. Tyler H. Berryhill, since February 23, 2022, 8 people have lost their lives in Madison County due to overdoses that have a suspected connection to fentanyl.
But these testing strips aren't just for avid fentanyl users...
"There are some people who are seeking out fentanyl, but there are some people who are getting it and they don't know that they're getting it and that's where it's extremely dangerous for people in our community," said Reeves.
These harm reduction tools could be lifesaving to anyone who does any street drug.
"They should all know that there's a possibility that fentanyl could be in it, whether that's marijuana, whether that's heroin, the possibility is there. So what these testing strips do they give them the option to see if unknowingly there's fentanyl in there and then they have a choice from there what they do with it," said Reeves.
Although there are many things that go into passing a bill - one thing for certain is that these fentanyl testing strips and services alike can help save the lives of drug users...
"We're not here to be controversial. We're here to help. And these fentanyl test strips can save lives. So we're very much in support of getting those out to the people who may be using drugs," said Reeves.