Rhode Island advocates to distribute fentanyl test strips

A group of public health advocates that includes Preventing Overdose and Naloxone Intervention (PONI) at The Miriam Hospital will hand out fentanyl test strips at various sites across Rhode Island as part of an International Overdose Awareness Day initiative. The advocates will also distribute doses of the overdose reversal medication naloxone.

The test strips indicate the presence of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid commonly found in the state’s drug supply that has been a driver of overdose deaths. Distribution and use of the fentanyl test strips, which cost $1, is legal under an amendment to Rhode Island’s Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Law.

“The opioid epidemic continues to transform, challenging us to employ creative and dynamic solutions to combat this crisis. Helping Rhode Islanders detect fentanyl in the drug supply, prior to use, will save lives,” PONI cofounder Josiah Rich, MD, said in a news release.

The campaign follows a similar practice recently implemented at the Howard Center in Burlington, Vt., which began distributing fentanyl test strips in addition to its previous practice of distributing naloxone. According to the Harm Reduction Coalition, use of fentanyl testing strips began at the Insite Safe Injection Facility in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. During a one-month period in 2016, 86% of all drugs tested at Insite were positive for fentanyl, according to HRC.