LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Illegal drug users have a new tool to know if their drugs are laced with an even stronger, silent killer.
The Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness is passing out take-home fentanyl testing strips at the Syringe Exchange Program. A strip reveals in five seconds if drugs are laced with the synthetic opiod.
Fentanyl is so potent that even a small amount could kill. Overdoses in Louisville are on the rise in recent years, and most are linked to it.
The program started recently at the health department, and the test strips are free.
“After the person has prepared their drugs, there's going to be residue left in whatever they used to mix the shot up,” syringe exchange community liaison Matt LaRocco said. “So they're going to add a little bit of water, typically a quarter of a teaspoon, open the package and take the test strip out. You’re going to drop it in [the residue]. What you're looking for is if it's positive, there will be one red line, and if it's negative, there will be two red lines.”
The city received two grants. One grant is used to pass out free Naloxone at the syringe exchange, and the other is for the strips.
Each strip costs the city 80 cents and could save thousands of dollars in ambulance services during an overdose, LaRocco said.
“Seventy percent of people who use fentanyl test strips stated they would be more likely to change how they use drugs,” Larocco said. “Some people said they won't use those drugs, and some said they would be more cautious about how they use those drugs to make sure they had someone around.”
Organizers here say the syringe exchange is slowing the spread of HIV, and they hope the fentanyl testing strips will also be successful by keeping people from overdosing.
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