Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that can be used for medical purposes, but is increasingly seen laced in drugs bought off the street. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration , it is about 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.
When mixed with other drugs, it has the capacity to make them 100 times more potent and when ingested, two milligrams of it can be lethal.
“People are overdosing and dying that don’t even know that it’s possible,” Overdose Lifeline CEO and Founder Justin Phillips said.
That’s where fentanyl test strips come in.
The strips, similar to a pH strip, can identify if fentanyl is present within seconds.
The strips work by mixing at least half a teaspoon of water with a small amount of the drug and placing it in the mixture. If it is positive for fentanyl, one red line will appear. Two lines appear if it’s negative. If testing pills, Phillips also recommends testing more than one.
“If it shows fentanyl, you can make a different decision,” Phillips said.
Phillips said people in Generation Z are suffering the most from undetected fentanyl leading to fatal overdoses. She and her team hope to bring awareness of fentanyl testing strips by rolling out their “Strip the Shame” campaign.
In making the campaign, they worked with a creative team and Gen Z influencers to put together a gift highlighting the safety the strips bring and to reduce shame around safe drug use.
“With this test, you’ll know what’s in your substance,” the campaign video says. “No guessing. No hoping. No fear. So, why are we all still afraid to talk about it? It’s time to Strip the Shame.”
The video was posted on several platforms and in about three days, it garnered over 30 million views and was reposted by Jamie Lee Curtis.
Then, it was removed from Facebook by Meta.
In the wake of its removal, the nonprofit received a notification saying it had been taken down due to it being considered spam. “We don’t allow people to share or send anything that contains misleading links or content,” the message said.
Overdose Lifeline received this notification from Meta after their campaign was removed. (Provided Photo/Overdose Lifeline)
Phillips and her team believe the post was likely reported by people who may not understand their goal, which is to avoid overdose by encouraging the safe use of drugs.
“We’re encouraging the safe use of drugs, because we’re realistic that people are using drugs,” Phillips said.
News 8 has reached out to Meta for comment, but has not heard back from the tech company.
Despite the post having been removed, Phillips and her team hope their message is heard and encourage anyone who wants more information to visit their site .
Fentanyl test strips remain available in several of their Naloxboxes scattered across the state.
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