If you search illicit drugs on social media and messaging apps, you'll likely find drug dealers claiming that the pills they sell have been tested for fentanyl...but should consumers trust that? Law enforcement detectives working on opioid response teams say, "Absolutely not!"
According to a recent NBC News Report, fentanyl test strips can be effective, however experts caution there is also a chance that the deadly opioid can also go undetected. Investigators say that while test strips do work, for completely accurate results the entire pill or batch of pills needs to be tested - a fact that is not always understood or practical for most users. It is possible that when only a portion of a pill is tested, it could show up as negative for fentanyl while the rest of the pill may be positive. This is because no pill is processed and made in the same way - therefore counterfeit pills may not contain even amounts of fentanyl.
The DEA reports that 70% of the counterfeit pills it tested last year contained a fatal dose of fentanyl leading to record numbers of accidental poisonings and death. Many people are not even aware that they may be ingesting fentanyl and the results can be deadly.
Nationwide, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans age 18-45. The surge in overdoses has led many health departments to provide free fentanyl test strips for users. However, there isn't clear data to prove that the strips are preventing overdoses.
View the NBC News Report
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