Harm Reduction/Overdose Prevention

The Harm Reduction/Overdose Prevention Knowledge Lab  highlighted state policy and legislative activities related to the Model Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip and Other Drug Testing Equipment Act and Syringe Services Program Act.

Background Discussion

Learn more from experts about fentanyl test strips and other drug testing equipment.

Live Discussion

The live discussion occurred on July 11, 2023. Click here to listen in!

Supporting Materials

The Model Syringe Services Program Act authorizes the establishment of comprehensive syringe services programs (SSPs), which are associated with a decrease in bloodborne infectious disease diagnoses as well as the number of needlestick injuries to first responders and others. Click here to read the full Model Syringe Services Program Act.

This summary provides SSP information for each state, inclhttps://legislativeanalysis.org/model-syringe-services-program-act/uding citations to applicable statutes and/or regulations, whether the state allows SSPs by statute, program components, miscellaneous provisions, and information on any pending legislation. Click here to read the full Summary of State Laws.

Click here for more information about SSPs, including a map of jurisdictions with statutory provisions that explicitly or impliedly authorize them.

The Model Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip and Other Drug Checking Equipment Act provides a guide for states to introduce legislation to authorize the use and possession of drug checking equipment. Click here, to read the full text of the Model Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip and Other Drug Checking Equipment Act.

Click here for more information about fentanyl test strips (FTS), including a map of jurisdictions that support access to them via jurisdiction-wide laws that do not subject the possession or use of FTS to drug paraphernalia penalties.

Click here for more information about drug checking equipment (DCE) for substances other than fentanyl, including a map of jurisdictions that support access to DCE that tests for substances other than fentanyl by not subjecting such DCE to drug paraphernalia penalties.

Click here for more information about naloxone access in high schools, including a map of jurisdictions requiring all public high schools to keep naloxone on site for responding to overdoses at school or at school-sponsored events.

Featured Experts

Assistance Professor (Research), Department of Medicine, Brown University

Research Scientist, Rhode Island Hospital

Legal Specialist, Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Public Health Analyst, RTI International

Office of Drug Monitoring & Analysis, New Jersey State Police

Anna Stein, JD, MPH

Anna Stein works with the Chronic Disease and Injury Section of the NC Division of Public Health. She is a policy advisor in the areas of drug overdose prevention, harm reduction, medications to treat opioid use disorder, tobacco control, alcohol, and cannabis, among other areas. She obtained her law degree and Master's in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Captain Jason Piotrowski

Captain Jason Piotrowski began his career in law enforcement in 1995, serving as a local police officer before joining the New Jersey State Police in 2001. Jason was a general duty road trooper before being selected as an initial member of the state fusion center in 2006. Jason represented the State of New Jersey at the National Operations Center in Washington, D.C., during his fusion center tenure, serving multiple tours. In 2014 Jason was selected to help develop the New Jersey Drug Monitoring Initiative and is currently leading the Office of Drug Monitoring and Analysis. In this position, he oversees the collection, analysis, information sharing, and training and outreach efforts related to the drug environment, specifically focused on the overdose epidemic. Captain Piotrowski is also a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow and Master of Public Health Candidate at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on overdose, addiction, and health disparities.