By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Fentanyl use continues to be a growing crisis in Kansas and beyond. In 2021, the state saw 678 drug-overdose deaths. That's a 42-percent increase from the 477 overdose deaths identified in 2020. Fifty-one percent of the 2021 figure involved synthetic opioid deaths, which include fentanyl.
After some hesitation, the Kansas state legislature approved the legalization of fentanyl test strips, which had previously been considered drug paraphernalia. The goal of the strips is to detect unwanted fentanyl that may have been laced into other narcotics. Amy Ferguson, coordinator for Rise Up Central Kansas, a task force of the Central Kansas Partnership, explained how the small strips are used.
"Once it has been introduced into a container with water and whatever substance, be it a pill, meth, cocaine, heroin," she said, "once it's been mixed in with the water, it will test positive or negative within two minutes of whether there's fentanyl in it."
The strips cost approximately $1 each. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has yet to finalize the legislation, which would open the door for state and federal grants for purchase of the strips. Ferguson said part of the holdup on the legislation may be the possibility of false negatives with the strips.
"(Fentanyl) is all created a little bit differently to try and avoid detection," she said. "What happens is, you can test it, and if it's not the analog that test covers, it will give you a false negative."
Others believe the strips will only encourage more drug use. Ferguson said said to that end, prevention is always the ideal.
"We like to always promote prevention," she said. "Having our kids involved with football, volleyball, soccer, or being involved with Youth Crew, 4-H, Scouts, or even having them at the dinner table. Those are all things that keep kids tied into the community to help prevent the use of substances.
"One thing families can do is practice with their kids what they're going to do when they have a friend who is introducing marijuana or meth for the first time. What are they going to do? How are they going to say no? Practicing that with them so they're not caught off guard."
For those already suffering from substance use disorder, there are a variety of local resources available, including peer navigators who are former users who have made it out of addiction.
Anyone with questions about resources can contact Ferguson by calling (620) 639-0125, or by emailing riseupcentralks@gmail.com.