As fatal overdoses surge, demand for fentanyl test strips grows in Minnesota

The Steve Rummler HOPE Network and our fentanyl test strip program (FTS) was recently highlighted in a Star Tribune article published on January 21st, 2023. The article highlighted the importance of fentanyl test strips and other harm reduction strategies.

“The Minnesota Department of Health found that fentanyl — up to 50 times stronger than heroin — was involved in 90% of all deaths linked to opioid use in 2021.”  The surge in fatal overdoses has heightened the urgency to distribute the test strips.

As the state’s largest provider of free fentanyl test kits, we have surveyed over 700 people who have used the strips since October of 2021. Of these, 90% said they changed their behavior to reduce overdose risk. 31% of respondents said they decided not to use the drug, while 23% chose to increase safety by using in a group or with another person.

As a member of SRHN’s Medical Advisory Panel and an addiction medicine doctor with Hennepin Healthcare, Dr. Charles Reznikoff says, “[FTS] not only saves lives, it serves as a reminder to the person that fentanyl may be present in whatever drug they may be using and is deadly.”

Request a free fentanyl test strip kit here.

Read the full Star Tribune article here.