fentanyl test strips

Indiana law classifies tools that test the strength, effectiveness, or purity of a controlled substances as paraphernalia. The Senate passed legislation to clarify tools that check for the presence of a substance would no longer be considered paraphernalia.

A Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday that would make an exception to the statute to allow tools that test for the presence of certain substances.

Advocates gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to rally support for a group of harm reduction bills. One of their priorities — this year's testing strips bill — was heard in a House committee.

Overdose Lifeline distributed more than 170,000 test strips in 2023. Advocates said they are more interested in saving lives than "getting held up on those gray areas" – which is where the legality of the test strip exists in Indiana code.

A bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips is likely dead after it didn't receive a committee hearing in the Senate.