October 13, 2021

Courtesy of Uncle Ike’s Car Wash starting today, free fentanyl test strips will be available at Uncle Ike’s Bottle Shop – 1400 23rd Ave – and in the vestibule between the entrance to the pot shop and Angel’s Shoe Repair (unlicensed premises) – 501 15th Ave E. Fentanyl test strips will be made available by discreet dispensers beginning today in an attempt to minimize harm and to make preventative measure more accessible to the public. You will have to be 21 or older to receive these test strips.

As fentanyl-related overdoses reach new records in King County, urgency to find ways to reduce this often-lethal mistake is now a matter of the utmost importance. Last year, King County Public Health reported 172 overdoses in 2020, almost tripling the total reported in 2018 of 65 deaths in King County. This year, the number of fentanyl overdoses has already surpassed last year’s total and has increased to 256 related deaths – that is a 46.5% increase before the year has even come to an end.

Uncle Ike’s owner, Ian Eisenberg says, “Far too many of us have known someone who has passed due to a drug-related accident. Anything we can do to promote harm reduction and save lives is worthwhile. Test strips are a simple yet effective way for people to test the drugs they should choose to take and prevent the worst from happening.”

What is Fentanyl and why is it on the rise?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse fentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Due to its cheap cost to manufacture and strong effects, a number of fentanyl-laced drugs, including counterfeit pharmaceutical pills, are seeing a spike in the illegal drug market and are killing many unsuspecting users. With counterfeit pills being made to look any other prescription drug such as Oxytocin, Percocet, Xanax and more there is no visible way to detect the temperance and is the greatest risk facing people who use drugs today.

How do the test strips work?

To learn more about how these tests work visit Dancesafe’s website.

What drugs can these tests detect?

Fentanyl • Butyryl-fentanyl • Tetrahydrofuran fentanyl• Acrylfentanyl • Cyclopropylfentanyl• Acetylfentanyl • 3-Methylfentanyl • Carfentanil • Sufentanil • β-OH-thiofentanyl • Furanylfentanyl • p-Flourofentanyl • Flouroisobutyryfentanyl

Source – https://dancesafe.org/product/fentanyl-test-strips-box-of-500/

This strip of paper can help prevent a drug overdose
Taken from CNN Health

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