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Fentanyl test strips are the new reality of going out on the town and partying. Wanting to stay safe when using recreational drugs, young people are adding drug-identifying strips to their weekend supplies. Given the nationwide overdose crisis fueled by street fentanyl and synthetic opioids, such a reaction is not surprising.

However, from the Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) perspective, the much safer option is to stop rolling the dice by using illegal drugs. Ultimately, if you are taking chances, those dice will come up snake eyes sooner or later. As a provider of substance use disorder treatment, TTC continues to see fentanyl doing damage to so many people. It has become an all too common reason why people need rehab services. In addition, many people never make it to rehab because they overdose and die.

Given the dangers of fentanyl and illegal drugs across the board, does it make sense to take such chances? The treatment team knows from experience that you can have a great time on the weekends without getting high. Listening to great music and rocking out on a crowded dance floor is a beautiful experience. Thus, there is no need to enhance the thrill and take chances with your life. Obviously, given the rise of fentanyl test strips, partygoers are already aware of the danger.

Fentanyl Test Strips and the Danger of Overdose

Many people do not know what fentanyl test strips are and what they do. If you do not understand what fentanyl test strips are, you are not alone. Beyond preventing drug abuse, a definite TTC goal is to raise awareness and educate our respective communities. After all, knowledge is the first step in taking positive action.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables).”

The Mexican drug cartels are overloaded with illegal fentanyl because the synthetic opioid is so powerful. Fifty to a hundred times stronger than heroin, fentanyl is so powerful that it has become plentiful. Moreover, drug cartels are producing illegal fentanyl in makeshift factories.

Given their endless supply, the drug cartels are contaminating many other drugs with fentanyl. They put fentanyl in cocaine, illegal prescription tranquilizers and sedatives, crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy, and other party drugs. As a result, test strips are needed.

Fentanyl Test Strips Now Common on the Dance Floor

In a Wall Street Journal investigation, reporters found that fentanyl test strips are standard party supplies. When asked what she does in the bathroom, one young woman had a surprising answer for the reporters. She said, “You shower, you’re getting cute, you put on your makeup… you test your drugs.”

The clubgoers explain that if you buy drugs at the clubs, you must now have fentanyl test strips in your purse. It is a terrifying new reality that such precautions need to be taken. It also is one more reason to access SUD treatment services before it’s too late. If you or a loved one needs help with drug use, please contact us today. We are here to one day make fentanyl test strips obsolete.