As reported by WBIR Channel 10, the Metro Drug Coalition in Tennessee is using harm reduction strategies, including the distribution of fentanyl test strips, to prevent overdose deaths in the community. These test strips, provided by TN Scientific, a vendor partnered with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS), allow people who use drugs to test their substances for the presence of fentanyl. By providing education and training on how to use the strips correctly and access naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, the Metro Drug Coalition, and TN Scientific are working to reduce the negative consequences of drug use and keep their communities safe. You check out the WBIR report here: https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/od-epidemic/metro-drug-coalition-now-distributing-fentanyl-test-strips-as-january-5-2023/51-8bf34c11-1cf2-41fa-a479-c41117e5142e
Fentanyl: The Deadly Opioid Fueling the Overdose Epidemic
Harm reduction is a public health approach that aims to reduce the negative consequences of drug use for both individuals and communities. One aspect of harm reduction is overdose prevention, which is particularly important in the context of the opioid epidemic that has swept the United States in recent years.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and is responsible for a large number of overdose deaths. In order to prevent fentanyl overdose, it is important for people who use drugs to be able to accurately test whether their drugs contain fentanyl.
Fentanyl Test Strips: An Effective Strategy for Overdose Prevention in the Opioid Epidemic
Fentanyl test strips are a simple and effective tool for detecting the presence of fentanyl in a substance. These strips work by reacting with the chemicals in a substance to one or 2 lines. If the substance contains fentanyl, the strip will show only 1 line.
The Metro Drug Coalition in Tennessee is now distributing fentanyl test strips as a way to prevent overdose deaths in the community. By providing people who use drugs with the ability to test their substances, the Metro Drug Coalition hopes to reduce the number of unintentional fentanyl overdose deaths in the area. In addition to distributing the test strips, the Metro Drug Coalition also provides education and training on
how to use the strips correctly and how to respond if a substance tests positive for fentanyl. This includes information on how to access naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
In addition to the efforts of the Metro Drug Coalition in Tennessee, it is worth noting that the fentanyl test strips being distributed in the state are provided by TN Scientific, a vendor that is partnered with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS). TN Scientific works with the TDMHSAS to provide harm reduction resources and services to communities in Tennessee, including the distribution of fentanyl test strips as a tool for overdose prevention.
Overall, the use of fentanyl test strips is an important harm-reduction strategy that can help prevent overdose deaths in the opioid epidemic. By providing people who use drugs with the ability to test their substances for the presence of fentanyl, harm reduction organizations like the Metro Drug Coalition are working to reduce the negative consequences of drug use and keep their communities safe.