State Representative Jim Struzzi says the House Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing this week in Indiana to discuss his bill to help prevent overdose deaths.
The hearing will be Friday at 9:30 AM in the PNC Conference Room at the KCAC.
Struzzi’s House Bill 1393 would legalize personal use of test strips that detect the presence of fentanyl, while they would remain illegal to possess by criminals dealing in fentanyl. Under current law, the test strips are defined as “drug paraphernalia” and are illegal to have. Possession of the strips is a misdemeanor.
The bill has bipartisan support. It was developed in cooperation with the Armstrong Indiana Clarion Drug & Alcohol Commission. Struzzi says allowing those who are in the grip of addiction to use test strips to test for fentanyl will help prevent overdoses.
After peaking at 53 overdose deaths in 2016, Indiana County overdose deaths dropped two years in a row, but increased again in 2019 to 38. Last year, there were 35 overdose deaths in the county, and so far this year, with two months to go, there have been 17. The data from OverdoseFreePA shows fentanyl present in 14 of the 17 deaths this year.
No pre-registration is required to attend the public hearing on Friday. All participants in events at the KCAC are required to wear a mask.
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