They launched a campaign in the US for users to check if the drug they bought is contaminated with fentanyl

Drug testing strips for the presence of fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid, are becoming more common in bars, restaurants and places as the country faces the epidemic of overdose and rising deaths.

“If you're going to use drugs here, you can try them,” said Heller, co-founder of FentCheck, a non-profit organization dedicated to harm reduction in recreational drug use.

Fentanyl, which is 100 times more potent than morphine, produces effects similar to those of other opioids, such as sedation, drowsiness, and nausea. Overdose can cause respiratory failure leading to death.

Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death among US residents aged 18 to 45, overcoming suicide, car accidents and COVID, according to an analysis of federal data by the opioid awareness organization Families Against Fentanyl.

To prevent such deaths, Heller, FentCheck co-founder Dean Shold, and a team of volunteers regularly visit a network of companies in Oakland, San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia to replenish test strips.

“We are done with the dead children. We're done with accidental overdoses. We're also helping people struggling with drug addiction,” Heller said. “They can't get to rehab, they can't get to the next step in their sobriety if they die that night.”

FentCheck provides strips from the Canadian company BTNX in simple instructions for users to test their medications. The results appear, such as a pregnancy or COVID-19 test, with lines indicating positive or negative.

“They're cheap, they're super easy to use and read, and they give you a yes or a no that you can use later,” said Dr. Kathleen Clanon, medical director for Alameda County, who supports the distribution of fentanyl test strips.

Melissa Myers, owner of Good Hop, said it was a “no-brainer” to offer the strips to her customers and train her staff on the use of naloxone, a drug that quickly reverses the effect of opioid overdoses.

“We fight to stay alive through COVID and I want them to be able to keep coming here, not die on the street or at home because they have decided to try some new drugs,” Myers said.

Some cities have gone even further in the fight against drug overdoses. One of the country's first supervised drug injection sites opened last year in New York City, allowing users to inject drugs under the supervision of trained personnel.

Some states treat them as illegal drug paraphernalia. Legislation to decriminalize strips is in place in Alabama, Florida and Tennessee, among other states.

Dr. Joey Hensley, a state senator and physician who runs a private practice in Tennessee, voted against the bill there.

“I just don't think it's a good policy to facilitate drug use for people who are addicted to drugs,” he said.

Hensley doubts that providing fentanyl test strips will affect the behavior of drug users. “If there are studies that show otherwise, maybe it would change, but I don't think it's a good policy,” he said.

Jason Lujick, owner of The Legionnaire, where test strips are located on the bar, said lawmakers must face the facts. “If you really care about your constituents and if you really look at the data your health departments are shedding and you don't really care, grow,” he said.

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