As part of Thursday’s International Overdose Awareness Day, the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) touted the success of fentanyl test strips, which are meant to reduce overdoses involving the deadly drug.
“With new legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in the spring 2022 session, TDMHSAS has been distributing fentanyl test strips for the past year to great success,” the department said. “The department distributed 125,000 test strips in the first year, and data collected from participants shows outcomes that surpass prior studies.”
According to that data, kits of fentanyl test strips, which can detect the presence of fentanyl in other drugs, are being used productively.
In 34 percent of those kits, every strip used tested positive for fentanyl. In 49 percent of the kits used, some strips tested positive for fentanyl. In only 17 percent of the kits, none of the strips tested positive for fentanyl.
Methamphetamines were by far the most likely drug to be laced with fentanyl, according to the study, which noted that 51 percent of the test strips used found fentanyl in methamphetamines.
Meanwhile, fentanyl was found in 20 percent of heroin and other opioids, 5 percent in cocaine, and 6 percent in other drugs.
Over the past few years, Tennessee has continuously set state records for fentanyl overdose deaths. In 2020, 2,014 Tennesseeans died from fentanyl overdoses. That number climbed to 2,734 in 2021. Data for 2022 is not yet available.
The test strips aim to inform drug users of the presence of fentanyl in another drug they may use, and reduce the risk of death by overdose until they are ready to seek treatment for drug addiction.
“The overdose problem in Tennessee, the lives we’re losing, the families that are torn apart –that’s not someone else’s problem. That’s all of our problem,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. “We want to reduce the stigma of addiction and celebrate the courage that it takes to say, ‘I need help.’ Substance use disorder happens to people in all walks of life for any number of reasons, but the hope of a new life in recovery is real. We see it every day.”
TDMHSAS noted that help is available for those ready to accept it.
“For Tennesseans who are ready to enter treatment, services are available even if you have no means to pay. Call or text the Tennessee REDLINE at 800-889-9789 for a free and confidential referral to substance use disorder treatment services.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
International Overdose Awareness Day Is my favorite American Holiday. Cannabis has had ZERO overdoses, yet remains illegal. Lortab, or TN Tylenol, is handed out like candy. I swallow mine down with TN’s own Jack Daniels.
God bless America and Tennessee.