Kelly signs bill to reduce overdose deaths. Here’s what Democrats and GOP lawmakers said

In July, Kansans will be able to legally confirm whether or not a pill they’re taking is laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.

Joined by parents whose children have died from fatal overdoses, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill Thursday legalizing fentanyl test strips, a tool used nationwide to reduce overdose deaths.

“Before now, fentanyl test strips were classified as drug paraphernalia, a misguided policy that undoubtedly contributed to overdose fatalities,” Kelly said. “The fact is, these test strips save lives and will save money. Decriminalizing them is exactly the type of common sense, evidence based approach we need to take to push back against this crisis.”

Before Kelly signed the bill Libby Davis, a Johnson County mother, said her son “was deceived to death” in 2021 when he took a pill laced with fentanyl.

“Fentanyl testing strips could have saved Cooper’s life,” Davis said.

The strips are cheap at only about $1 apiece. They detect fentanyl in pills and other drugs, allowing individuals to avoid taking drugs laced with the powerful synthetic opioid. All manner of illegal drugs are now regularly laced with fentanyl, a common method to boost their potency that dramatically raises the chance of a fatal overdose.

The bill Kelly signed increased penalties for distributors of fentanyl-laced pills in addition to legalizing the strips. The bill also granted new authority to Attorney General Kris Kobach and created stronger criminal penalties for assaults on health care workers.

Lawmakers have faced growing pressure in recent years to address the fentanyl crisis as overdose deaths in Kansas soared from 393 in 2019 to 679 in 2021, according to data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, with 347 of the deaths in 2021 attributable in part to synthetic opioids, which include fentanyl.

Rep. Jason Probst, a Hutchinson Democrat, had been pushing for legalization of the strips for years. Last month the House and Senate each voted with bipartisan majorities to send the policy to Kelly’s desk.

A similar policy was stalled last year over concerns by Republicans in the Senate that the strips would encourage illicit drug use.

“It’s going to give more Kansans the tools they need to reach recovery and keep them alive along the way,” Probst said.

Rep. Stephen Owens, a Hesston Republican who helped usher the policy through the Legislature, said the bill’s signing was proof that on important issues Republicans and Democrats can come together.

“(Fentanyl) does not discriminate, it destroys people and it destroys lives,” he said.

The Star’s Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.