At Hoosier Action we believe that no neighbor is disposable, and that every person deserves dignity and respect. But, the overdose crisis is tearing our community apart. Every time we lose a life, we all lose the talent, potential, love, and energy that the person could offer to our community. The grief and despair felt by families after an overdose death, impacts all of us.

This legislative session, we have a chance to save our neighbors lives by increasing access to life-saving fentanyl test strips by decriminalizing them. Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost means of harm reduction, allowing testing of drugs for fentanyl content. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables). 

Bipartisan bills HB1167 and SB312 are commonsense solutions that would be a huge step in saving lives and ending the overdose crisis. 

• This bill would modify the Indiana criminal code to explicitly exclude fentanyl and other drug test strips from the list of items for which individuals can be prosecuted for possessing. 
• Under the current law, more people are dying because they have a hard time getting access to overdose prevention test strips.

Currently, Hoosiers who are found to possess fentanyl test strips could face jail time, resulting in our neighbors and loved ones who use drugs and struggle with substance use to unknowingly overdose due to fentanyl. Additionally, the public dollars and resources we spend to prosecute possession of this life saving tool could be redirected to other harm reduction tactics that work to reduce overdose. We have 50 years of evidence that criminalizing drug use does not reduce drug use or overdose.

The antidote to the overdose crisis is community support and love, embodied and manifested in evidence-based solutions for prevention, treatment, and harm reduction like fentanyl test strips. By saving lives and giving people the opportunity to recover, we create the conditions for our community to thrive and to be a place of hope, opportunity, and love for all of our neighbors.