New Jersey lawmakers tout expanded access to affordable fentanyl test strips amid state's drug overdose crisis
PARAMUS, N.J. -- A pivotal effort to curb New Jersey's escalating fentanyl crisis got a jump start on Friday.
Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Josh Gottheimer plan to introduce legislation expanding access to affordable lifesaving test strips that can detect fentanyl and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, in various drugs.
"This crisis is not about locking more people up. It's about liberating," said Booker.
Gottheimer and Booker got together at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus to tout what they called commonsense legislation.
"A commonsense and proven step to saving the lives of our loved ones. And the idea that we wouldn't use this tool is crazy," said Gottheimer.
"Addiction is a health crisis and it must be met by heartened people with enlightened ideas and a commitment to one another," said Booker.
Their proposal would allow the federal government and states to deploy grants to community organizations to acquire and distribute fentanyl test strips, which may save lives.
"Having easy access to fentanyl strips would allow people to know if the drug products that they're using have fentanyl or not. Some people may still choose to use the fentanyl, but some people may change their behavior based on that," said Dr. Anthony Accurso, medical director of addiction medicine at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.
In 2019, fentanyl was involved in about 75% of drug overdoses in New Jersey. That percentage is only going up as the synthetic opioid continue to be cut into the drug supply.
"We're giving people the power to understand what they're getting into. So that way they're able to make the educated decision on how much to use," said Anthony Gray Jr., an advocate with the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition.
Fentanyl test strips are illegal under some states' drug paraphernalia laws that date back to the 1970s. Before the proposal can become law, it needs bipartisan support in Congress.