Fentanyl test strips are being used by drug dealers to advertise 'clean pills'
Law enforcement officials warn that drug dealers now use fentanyl test strips on their pills and then post photos on social media to prove their drugs are “clean.”
Fentanyl test strips are sold online and easily obtained free from many public health departments. They’re touted as a harm reduction tool to help drug users determine whether fentanyl is present in a pill or powder.
But Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick Craven, the lead detective of the newly formed opioid response team in rural Placer County, California, warns that the test strips are now being used by drug dealers who post photos on social media showing “negative” test results to advertise that their drugs are “clean.”
Asked if users can trust that information, Craven said, “Absolutely not.”
Fentanyl test strips detect the synthetic opioid in illicit pills, which is meant to reduce overdoses.Mark Lennihan / AP fileFentanyl test strips can’t offer accurate results unless an entire pill or batch of powder is tested, something most users don’t know how to do — or don’t want to do.
“Most people are not going to go and spend money on drugs only to test them and then find out, ‘I can’t use this,’” Craven said.
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