Legacy Healing Center Warns Pennsylvania Law Restricting Access to Fentanyl Test Strips Will Lead to More Drug Overdose Deaths

Cherry Hill, NJ - Pennsylvania law categorizes fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia, thereby making it illegal for people to use them to test for the dangerous synthetic opioid. Fentanyl is commonly added to street drugs to increase their potency unbeknownst to users. Legacy Healing Center – a leading Cherry Hill, NJ addiction treatment center – warns that restricting access to fentanyl test strips will lead to an increase in preventable drug overdose deaths.

Fentanyl was the main cause of death in the more than 93,000 people who died from a drug overdose in 2019 amidst the ongoing opioid epidemic. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control revealed that as many as 57 percent of people who suffered a fatal fentanyl overdose also had another drug in their system, suggesting that the drugs were laced with fentanyl.

Fentanyl is cheap to produce and unscrupulous illicit drug manufacturers use it to increase the potency of their products. Fentanyl is commonly added to heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, counterfeit prescription pills, and even marijuana. A minuscule amount of fentanyl can lead to a fatal overdose and it’s impossible to tell just by looking at a drug whether or not it has been laced with fentanyl.

Legacy Healing Center in Cherry Hill NJ warns that outlawing fentanyl test strips at a time when fentanyl-laced drugs are so prevalent will lead to many preventable deaths among people suffering from the mental health condition known as substance use disorder.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro and District Attorney Larry Krasner are among the Pennsylvania elected officials who have attempted to adopt a pro fentanyl test strip approach stating that they should be used “as a tool to prevent overdose and save lives”.

Legacy Healing Center encourages anyone struggling with addiction to seek professional treatment as prevention remains the best defense against overdose, especially when current laws prevent access to harm reduction tools. “Addiction metastasizes in isolation”, said CEO and Chief Clinical Officer, David Levin. Help is available at Legacy Healing Center in New Jersey and Florida. Call (888) 534-2295 or visit www.legacyhealing.com to speak with a treatment specialist anytime day or night.