Dallas City Wire

WASHINGTON – On May 22, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Congressman Lance Gooden (TX-05), and 31 bipartisan cosponsors introduced the Bipartisan Secure Testing Resources Instead of Prosecuting (STRIP) Act. This legislation would exempt the possession, sale, or purchase of fentanyl testing equipment, including test strips, from the federal drug paraphernalia law.

These strips are a simple, inexpensive, and evidence-based method of averting drug overdose by warning individuals if a drug they are about to take contains traces of the deadly synthetic opioid. While some states have laws criminalizing individuals who sell, distribute, or possess these lifesaving test strips under drug paraphernalia statutes, more and more states—and most recently Texas—are passing legislation that amend their drug policies on fentanyl test strips to avert preventable overdoses and deaths. 

"Criminalizing fentanyl test strips is like outlawing water hoses during a house fire - it won’t fix the problem, and it'll get people killed. From 2019 to 2021, overdose deaths involving fentanyl in Texas rose 399%, from 333 people to 1,662. The sad truth is, many of these deaths were likely entirely preventable if these individuals had access to fentanyl testing equipment," said Rep. Crockett. “Fentanyl is tasteless, odorless, and too small to see. Consequently, the vast majority of those who overdose or die because of fentanyl do so because they don’t even know they are taking it. While serving in the Texas Legislature, I introduced legislation that would remove criminal penalties for individuals who possessed and used these test strips. Now, as a Member of the U.S. Congress, I am continuing my work by introducing the STRIP Act—a bill that would remove federal penalties from the sale, possession, or purchase of fentanyl testing equipment. Put simply, we are removing a barrier to life-saving resources that will protect our constituents nationwide. I appreciate my colleagues for joining me to put forth common sense, bipartisan solutions to this crisis that will save American lives."

“The STRIP Act is a sensible, harm-reduction approach that ensures prescription drugs can be tested for fentanyl to prevent accidental overdose or death," said Rep. Gooden (TX-05). "This bipartisan legislation has my full support, and I applaud states like Texas that have taken significant steps to increase awareness of the dangers posed by opioids.”

“There are too many lives at stake to politicize the fentanyl crisis," said Rep. Moskowitz (FL-23). "I’m encouraged to see the Florida Legislature vote unanimously this year to decriminalize fentanyl test strips, and I hope that we will see similar bipartisan support in Congress for these life-saving tests.”

“Fentanyl has taken over drug supply chains in the United States and around the world, and has impacted hundreds of thousands of families, including my own. In just one year, my mother overdosed 20 times because of fentanyl–a devastating experience that is all too common,” said Rep. Pettersen (CO-07). “While we must attack this public health crisis on many fronts, test strips to detect synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, are an inexpensive and evidence-based way to avert preventable overdoses and save lives. Many states, including Colorado, have decriminalized test strips, but I’m introducing this bipartisan bill alongside my colleagues to ensure people across the country have access to this life-saving resource.”

In 2021, the CDC reported that more than 71,000 overdose deaths were attributed to synthetic opioids (fentanyl).  Moreover, a 2022 study by the American Medical Association found that fatal overdoses among adolescents increased by 94% from 2019 to 2020, with Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Latinos representing some of the highest rates.

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Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett represents portions of Dallas and Tarrant Counties, with the cities of Dallas, Grand Prairie, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Wilmer, Arlington, Ovilla, and Seagoville.

Original source can be found here.