T32-1A: Whatnot Shelf for Psychiatric Epidemiologists: June 2018

In May 2017, the Golden State's public health department began paying needle exchanges to provide drug users with test strips that determine if a drug contains fentanyl.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin, can be mixed into other drugs without the user knowing (though some users intentionally seek it out for its strength). This is a common practice for drug dealers because fentanyl is inexpensive and easily available.

Because of its potency – as little as two milligrams is a lethal dosage to most people – fentanyl is now responsible for the largest number of overdose deaths in the U.S.

Since last May, the Los Angeles Times reports that California has invested $57,000 on doling out the test strips, worth $1 each, to half of the state's 45 needle exchanges.