It’s 2022, and the opioid epidemic rages on in America. At this point, it’s a full-blown national drug crisis. More than 100,000 people are dying annually from drug overdoses, the highest number ever recorded and an almost 30% increase from the previous record. At least two-thirds of those deaths are caused by synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl.

In Florida, tensions are high. The state ranks second in the nation for drug overdose deaths, behind only California. In 2020, 7,579 people died from a drug overdose, an increase of 37% from the previous year. In the Tampa Bay area alone, 30 people die every week just from opioid overdoses. And approximately three-quarters of them are from fentanyl.

The saddest part is that these deaths are largely preventable. Many states are finding success with harm reduction, a formerly controversial approach that’s gaining traction as the national drug epidemic worsens. The Covid-19 pandemic worsened a bad situation, causing drug overdose rates to skyrocket in virtually every state. But the silver lining is that many states finally embraced harm reduction to control the damage.

But in Florida, the opposite occurred. Florida lawmakers are moving backward rather than making substance abuse treatment and prevention services more available.

In early March of 2022, legislators killed a bill that could save countless lives by allowing the use of fentanyl test strips. This denial happened on the heels of the recent mass fentanyl overdose tragedy in Florida involving six West Point cadets on spring break that made national headlines. Many states have passed laws in the last year decriminalizing the use of fentanyl test strips by excluding them from the definition of “drug paraphernalia.” But in a seemingly senseless and suspicious act, lawmakers in Florida bluntly denied the push for this harm reduction measure.

But why? There is no apparent answer.

The test strips would allow people to test substances for the presence of deadly fentanyl before ingesting them, which could easily reduce overdose rates and save lives. Fentanyl, a white, odorless powder 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, has been increasingly used for lacing illicit substances ranging from heroin to cocaine and fake prescription pills. Dealers do this to cheaply increase the volume of their product while making it even more addictive and, incidentally, far more deadly.

Harm reduction is still a controversial approach due to the stigma surrounding addiction and the ingrained beliefs that originate from the War on Drugs era. It is assumed that people who oppose harm reduction believe that things like clean needles or fentanyl test strips encourage drug abuse.

This is contributing factor that is preventing residents of Florida won’t be able to access fentanyl test strips that could potentially save lives. Even though, the strips contain no narcotics and cannot be abused or misused. The only thing they can do is detect fentanyl.

At this point one can only speculate why Florida legislators are failing to act. For now, let’s be clear about one thing, Florida lawmakers could prevent future fentanyl overdoses. Unfortunately, they are not moving forward on proposed measures to do so.

About the Author
Ramsey Darwish has been working of the field of substance use disorders for over 15 years. He uses his experience to provide insight into current issues surrounding addiction and recovery.