Governor Laura Kelly participated in a roundtable discussion on the need to decriminalize fentanyl test strips in Kansas. She was joined by healthcare, medical, addiction, and law enforcement professionals, as well as a parent who lost her son to an accidental fentanyl overdose.
“Experts from nearly every profession, including law enforcement, agree that decriminalizing fentanyl test strips is a commonsense way to prevent overdoses and save lives,” Governor Kelly said. “We must join the many states across the country that have made fentanyl test strips and other tools available to prevent exposure to fentanyl long before it kills.”
Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister said, “A great way to keep our communities safe from deadly fentanyl is by legalizing fentanyl test strips. Opponents of this life-saving policy must ask themselves: are you afraid these test strips may save a life you disagree with or find little value in saving? Are you willing to stand in front of a mother and tell her that her son’s or daughter’s life was not worth saving?”
Crystal Tucker lost her 22-year-old son Lantz to and accidental fentanyl overdose in 2020. She called decriminalization of test strips essential, adding “Our only weapon right now in this war is awareness, and it is simply not enough. We have to give people the tools to keep themselves safe against poisoning.”
Kansas is one of only a handful of states that has yet to legalize fentanyl test strips, though doing so does have bipartisan support. Senate Bill 174 includes language that would decriminalize them.
Governor Kelly was also joined by:
- Linda Bass, President of KVC Kansas;
- Matt Arnet, the Clinical Director of Outpatient Services for KVC Kansas;
- Dr. Zijun Wang, an assistant professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Kansas;
- Erika Holliday, Substance Use Coordinator at Unified Government Public Health Department;
- Dr. Zahra Nasrazadani, an Emergency Medical Clinical Pharmacist at the Salina Regional Health Center; and
- Jeff Boss, the Emergency Medical Services Lieutenant the with Johnson County MED-ACT and Chair of the Mid-America Regional Council Emergency Rescue.
