Mayor Peduto presses legislature to decriminalize fentanyl test strips

PITTSBURGH — "Pennsylvania has the third highest rate of drug overdose fatalities in the United States." That's one of the first lines in a letter Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto sent to the state legislature in support of a new bill.

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The letter from Peduto's office says the state's fatal overdose numbers are double the nationwide rate and that House Bill 1741 "removes barriers around testing for the presence of fentanyl."

RELATED: Fentanyl test strips could help fight overdose deaths, but they’re illegal in PA

HB 1741, according to the letter, would no longer classify the testing strips under the state's definition of drug paraphernalia. The strips can be dipped in water containing a small amount of a drug and indicate a positive or negative reading relatively quickly.

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