Overview
A fentanyl test strip (FTS) is a cheap, portable assays that can detect the presence of fentanyl in powders, pills, and injectable substances.
History and Etymology
FTS were originally manufactured for clinical settings to test human urine for fentanyl, but harm reduction activists like Tino Fuentes realized they could be used off-label to test for fentanyl prior to consumption. Syringe service programs (SSPs) and grassroots networks like drug user unions began to buy and distribute them to prevent the accidental consumption of fentanyl in contaminated street drugs. Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and laws based on the 1979 Model Drug Paraphernalia Act, FTS were actually classified as drug paraphernalia despite the clear use to save lives and improve the safety of substance use. Rhode Island was the first US state to decriminalize FTS in just 2018. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the federal government announced that federal funding could be used to purchase FTS, which cleared the way for health departments and nonprofit organizations to begin distributing them.