GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Drug users are being encouraged to use recently legalized fentanyl test strips before consuming their product amid a public health advisory for the dangerous drug.
Overdose deaths for fentanyl grew by 97 percent over the past two years, according to Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services.
Fentanyl test strips are illegal in 19 states under old drug paraphernalia laws. In Wisconsin, they were legalized in March.
“It is a strip that you essentially apply to the product to be able to indicate whether there is fentanyl in the product,” said Tina Baeten, the clinical director at the Jackie Nitschke Center in Green Bay.
Vivent Health saw the need for the tests early on and started offering them in 2019.
“Basically if they were using heroin or pills they would be testing the residue, so sterile water is put in there and then it’s just put in the device and then the water rides up the strip and their results are ready in 15 seconds,” said Ben Bruso, a supervisor at Vivent Health, while demonstrating how a test works.
Last year, Vivent distributed nearly 45,957 fentanyl tests throughout Wisconsin, including 7,322 in Appleton and 6,218 in Green Bay.
In Appleton, of the results reported back to Vivent, about 58 percent of the tests came back as positive. In Green Bay, the positive test rate was about 69 percent.
“I think that it is definitely alarming, and it really only shows a small picture of the real reality out there,” said Bruso. “It just speaks to the need for more harm reduction support as far as making sure people have access to these strips and Narcan is available in all places.”
FOX 11 asked Bruso if he believes the tests perpetuate drug use at all.
“I think regardless people are using drugs and we accept that as part of our society. We’re here just to ensure people can reduce harm so that when they do make it to sobriety or reduced use there is less harm caused. Folks can’t recover if they’re passed away, so we just have to keep them safe now.”
“From a treatment perspective, we’re encouraging people to abstain from mood altering substances, so we don’t necessarily always maybe communicate it as strongly on the preventative end and that is something that we really need to be doing,” said Baeten.
The state is investing more in fentanyl test strips to make them more widely available. $2 million of the $31 million the state received in an opioid settlement will go toward the effort.
“What is really important and we want people to know is these are available and not illegal in the state and really encourage folks to reach out to those possible access points to get them,” said Paul Krupski, DHS director of opioid initatives.
County governments are in the early stages of developing plans to distribute the tests. They can already be found at some pharmacies, treatment centers, and head shops.
The New York Times reports dozens of bars, clubs, and restaurants are offering the tests in New York City. They are mostly targeting cocaine users.
In Wisconsin, Cocaine deaths involving synthetic opioids increased by 134 percent over the past two years.
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