Illinois House Passes Legislation To Allow Pharmacists To Sell Fentanyl Test Strips

FILE – This Aug. 2017 photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix Division shows one of four containers holding some of the 30,000 fentanyl pills the agency seized in one of its bigger busts in Tempe, Ariz. As the number of U.S. overdose deaths continues to soar, states are trying to take steps to combat a flood of the drug that has proved the most lethal — illicitly produced fentanyl.(Drug Enforcement Administration via AP, File)

Legislation that would allow pharmacists to sell fentanyl test strips over the counter has passed the Illinois House. The measure would also allow a county health department to distribute the test strips at their facilities at no cost to the recipient. The bills’ sponsor, state Rep. Tony McCombie, said the goal is to prevent overdose deaths. The Illinois Department of Public Health has reported from 2013 to 2020, overdose deaths from synthetic opioids increased by over 2,000 percent.