State, federal legislation targets fentanyl crisis

Jul. 23—Local addiction specialists are applauding state and national moves aimed at battling the fentanyl crisis.

July 7 saw the approval of Senate Bill 45 by Gov. Mike Parson, which modifies provisions relating to health care and made fentanyl test trips legal statewide.

Jayna Stone, a peer support specialist at the St. Kolbe Puckett Center for Healing, said test strips are a life-saver for those on the road to recovery. The emphasis on the strips' use stems from the growing worry from many patients that the drug can be disguised in a variety of different forms.

"Fentanyl is being pressed to look like Xanax. I've known a couple of people who have died because they took a Xanax or what they thought was a Xanax. Maybe if they had those test strips, they wouldn't have passed away," Stone said.

The process to use the strips is simple. First one must break a piece of the pill in question, then put that piece in a cup and mix it with water. After mixing, users dip the strip into the water and wait for the results. If two lines show on the test, there is zero trace of fentanyl. One line tests positive for the drug.

In St. Joseph, test strips are available to everyone in the community, along with Narcan. Getting ahold of the strips is simple.

"They can either walk in and ask for it or they can call and let us know that, 'Hey, I need some of this can I come and get it from you?' We'll leave it as simple as that. We won't ask questions, we won't take their name or anything like that," Stone said. "We want to get these out on the street because our hope is to help those find recovery who want it. Everybody deserves recovery."

Stone said there is a stigma around providing not only fentanyl test strips but Narcan as well.

"A lot of people see it as enabling the addict," Stone said. "It was their choice in the beginning but at some point, it becomes not a choice and they have to use what they think they have to use to survive."

There also is movement on the national stage in the fentanyl crisis.

On July 16, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, announced a bipartisan bill to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

Stone said that any legislation is one step closer to helping fight not only the war on drugs but helping those struggling to find hope in recovery.

"Everybody deserves recovery," Stone said. "If somebody overdoses and dies, they won't be able to find recovery and so that's our hope is to prolong their lives long enough for them to be able to find recovery ... then maybe eventually they can find recovery in a new way of life."

Riley Funk can be reached at [email protected].