Governor Laura Kelly signs a bipartisan bill decriminalizing fentanyl test strips.

 Senate Bill 174 decriminalizes test strips, which can detect the presence of fentanyl in other substances, helping prevent overdose deaths in Kansas. 

 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100,000 people died in 2021 from a drug overdose, the most ever recorded in a single year in U.S. history.

 2023 marks the third year a bill has been introduced in the Kansas Legislature to decriminalize fentanyl test strips. In 2022, the bill passed unanimously in the House but stalled in the Senate.

 SB 174 also increases criminal penalties for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl and for committing battery against a healthcare provider.

 Kansans looking for substance use treatment and recovery services are encouraged to use state services. A link to those services are available here.