Fentanyl test strips being legalized across country in an effort to combat overdose deaths

Fentanyl test strips are becoming legal in more states as overdoses from the deadly substance continue to be an issue. Nearly 70% of the overdoses in 2022 could be linked to fentanyl.

"When I put them out, they just fly out the door," said Willis, who proudly hands out about 30 strips a week as part of The Urban Barber Association, a Cleveland organization that provides health education to the community via local barbershops.

Nearly 18 years into his own sobriety from drugs, Willis isn't shy about making the strips available. He figures he’d be dead if fentanyl were so widely prevalent when he was using.

Fentanyl has driven overdose deaths in the U.S. since 2016, and that isn't changing as the cheaper and deadlier synthetic opioid continues to be cut into the drug supply. Approximately 75,000 of the nearly 110,000 overdose deaths of 2022 could be linked to fentanyl, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Legalizing test strips could bring those numbers down, advocates say, saving lives by helping more people understand just how deadly their drugs could be.