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Fentanyl test strips decriminalized in KS

By Brian Hagen

05/11/2023

(MSC News)--A bipartisan bill that decriminalizes fentanyl test strips gains the signature of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.

That happened Thursday, as Kelly joined legislators and advocates in Shawnee for the bill signing, with a release from her office saying that “decriminalizing test strips, which can detect the presence of fentanyl in other substances, will help prevent overdose deaths in Kansas.”

Kelly, in the release, says, “by decriminalizing fentanyl test strips, [the State is] providing the resources needed to combat the opioid and fentanyl epidemic so that families and loved ones no longer have to feel the pain of a preventable death.”

The release from Kelly's office cites statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which show that more than 100,000 people died in 2021 from a drug overdose, the most ever recorded in a single year in U.S. history.

The bill also increases criminal penalties for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl and for committing battery against a healthcare provider.

The release explains that 2023 marks the third year a bill has been introduced in the Kansas Legislature to decriminalize fentanyl test strips. In 2022, the bill passed unanimously in the House but stalled in the Senate.

The legislation has continuously had support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

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