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California Providing Fentanyl Testing Kits To State Needle Exchanges (VIDEO)

Fentanyl testing strips are being provided to needle exchanges in California by the state in order to combat the growing opioid crisis sweeping across the nation.


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Fentanyl is an opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin, and is responsible for a growing number of overdose deaths each year in California. It is often added to other street drugs, and can overwhelm and even kill someone who has no tolerance.

The California Department of Health released a report in April saying 373 people died from Fentanyl overdoses last year — over 100 more than the 237 people who died in 2016.

“The feedback that I get from recovering addicts is that most of the heroin that’s out there these days, whether it’s in Santa Clarita or elsewhere, has fentanyl on it,” sais Bob Sharits, program director of The Way Out Recovery SCV, a local rehab center.

In an effort to reduce the number of fentanyl-related deaths in California, the state is providing needle exchange sites with fentanyl testing strips for substance users.

The tests are manufactured by a Canadian company and cost $1 each. The paper strips used in the test function similarly to a pregnancy test. Users mix a small portion of a drug with water, then dip the strip into the mixture for several seconds. The user then waits five minutes, and if the strip has one line, the drug tested positive for fentanyl; two lines means a negative outcome.

Approximately half of California’s 45 needle exchanges have the fentanyl strips. California has spent about $57,000 on the tests as of June 2018, according to state officials.

“I’m a big proponent of any kind of harm reduction,” Sharits said. “If we can put test strips in the hands of people that are using drugs, so that they know whether that deadly drug is combined with the heroin that they’re using, it is absolutely going to save lives.”

But experts warn that the tests are an imperfect solution. They haven’t been approved by federal regulators, and some officials have concerns about the accuracy of the results.

Dr. Gary Tsai, medical director of the Los Angeles County Health Department’s substance abuse prevention and control division, told the L.A. Times that officials are considering offering the test strips more widely, but that he is worried about their accuracy. He also pointed out that the tests were made for pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl, so the kind available on the street might not be an exact match.

“I wish I could have more confidence in the fentanyl test strips,” Tsai said.

Fentanyl was first developed as a pharmaceutical painkiller. The test strips were originally developed to test for the drug in patients’ urine, and haven’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing drugs directly.

However, others point to more promising evidence. A recent Johns Hopkins University study found that the strips could detect when fentanyl was present in drug samples between 90 and 100 percent of the time.

Additionally, the study found that 70 percent of drug users would modify their behavior if they knew fentanyl was in their drugs, including not taking the drug or buying it from a different dealer.

Sharits and The Way Out Recovery SCV have been taking steps to address the growing fentanyl situation.

“We’re certainly talking to our recovering addicts about safety if they are continuing to use,” said Sharits. “We’re talking to them about the increased dangers of the drug that’s out there now as opposed to the drug that was out 15 or 20 years ago. And then we’re giving an overall education to the public and to families and to anybody who might be using as to the increase of the danger of the potency of the heroin and the fentanyl that’s out there today.”

Sharits went on to state that at the heart of the fentanyl opioid epidemic, the true problems are the underlying issues that cause people to use drugs in the first place.

“Seek the counseling to address all the underlying issues that are behind the drug addiction in the first place,” said Sharits. “Certainly we need to stop using the drugs, but in the midst of the abstinence we need to be addressing all the underlying emotional issues and social issues that are underneath the illness itself.”

For more information about The Way Out Recovery SCV, click here.

The Way Out Recovery Hour is a weekly podcast produced by KHTS Radio discussing drug addiction in the Santa Clarita Valley. To listen, click here.

Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

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California Providing Fentanyl Testing Kits To State Needle Exchanges (VIDEO)

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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown has lived in Santa Clarita his whole life. Graduating from Saugus High School in 2016, he continued to stay local by attending The Master’s University, where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Michael joined KHTS in January of 2018 as a news intern, and has since gone on to become the News Director for the KHTS Newsroom. Since joining KHTS, Michael has covered many breaking news stories (both on scene and on air), interviewed dozens of prominent state and federal political figures, and interacted with hundreds of residents from Santa Clarita. When he is not working, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, as well as reading any comic book he can get his hands on.