Mahoning County Health offers free Fentanyl Test Strips

Mahoning County Public Health is offering free fentanyl test strips and Narcan overdose reversal kits.

According to local health officials, in 2022 44% of all overdose deaths in Mahoning County involved Fentanyl and Cocaine, compared to 27% for the entire state of Ohio.

A post on the health department’s Facebook page notes that Illicit drugs don’t come with an ingredient list and could contain deadly doses of fentanyl. 

It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl test strips, according to experts.  The strips can detect the presence of fentanyl in a substance and typically provide results in five minutes. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Fentanyl test strips are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, as well as drugs in the form of pills, powder, and injectables.

The test strips provide people who use drugs and communities with important information about fentanyl in the illicit drug supply so they can take steps to reduce the risk of overdose, according to the CDC.

The post notes however that even if you get a negative result, the test strips may not detect more potent forms of fentanyl such as carfentanil. 

To request free fentanyl test strips or a Narcan kit visit https://mahoninghealth.org/project-dawn/ or call 330-270-2855 x125.