In fact, prosecution for possessing the strips doesn’t appear to be occurring anywhere in the U.S., according to Jonathan Woodruff of the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, which tracks drug laws nationwide. Handing them out never brought legal consequences in Ohio even before. SOAR sends out the strips via mail to anonymous recipients, both individuals and larger distributors. The SOAR Initiative, a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit fighting overdose deaths, distributes about 5,000 strips each month, according to executive director Jessica Warner. Increased legalization opens doors for more funding, including for strips themselves and for public education campaigns. The shift in how political leaders view the strips has advocacy groups, health departments and outreach programs optimistic. “Fentanyl isn’t going to ask you if you’re a Democrat or a Republican before it kills you,” said Struzzi, who sponsored state legislation making test strips legal in January. Jim Struzzi lost his brother to a drug overdose in 2014 and lobbied colleagues for years to destigmatize the strips. Greg Abbott of Texas recently dropped opposition to decriminalizing the strips, citing a “better understanding” of how they prevent opioid deaths.Īnd in Pennsylvania, Republican state Rep. Montana and other states are considering similar legislation. Kansas’ governor recently signed a bipartisan bill decriminalizing the strips starting July 1. “And that is the main goal - at least one person.” “I do believe that if these were available, that at least one person would be saved,” Harris said.
Harris believes her son would still be alive if he’d had test strips showing what he was ingesting. He was open about his addiction issues and had been clean three years before he died after a relapse. Friends and family knew Sheahan as “big-hearted” and “goofy” with a soft spot for abused animals.
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