OKLAHOMA CITY — A proposed bill in Oklahoma allows people to carry fentanyl test strips without fear of arrest.
State Minority Whip Mickey Dollens, a Democrat, believes the Republican supermajority at the state capitol will adopt his bill.
“Obviously we don’t condone anyone doing drugs, but in Oklahoma and across the country, there is an addiction crisis,” Rep. Dollens told 2 News Oklahoma Wednesday. “We have a lot of nonprofits that are ready to step up and help by providing free fentanyl testing strips to addicts, but they’re afraid to do so in fears of being litigated against.”
Around 300 Oklahomans lost their lives from fentanyl in 2022 according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
Dollens, a former Bartlesville High School football star, said he sees the deadly effects in northeast Oklahoma too often, and the test strips are easy for anyone to use.
“Far too many people take a drug such as cocaine or ecstasy that has been laced with fentanyl and it results in a death," he said. "The way a fentanyl strip would work is you take a very small piece of that drug - just a tiny little chip of it - put it in a little bit of water. You’d wait about five minutes and it would tell you whether or not it has traces of fentanyl.”
HB 1987 passed the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Controlled Substances Committee on Wednesday with unanimous support. Dollens said Tulsa Republican State Sen. Dave Rader already informed him he’ll present the senate version of it given the chance.
“When it comes to addressing addiction in Oklahoma, it’s encouraging to see support on both sides of the aisle, and knowing that we can still come together on particular issues that benefit all Oklahomans,” Rep. Dollens said.
The bill now heads for a House vote. Rep. Dollens hopes given bipartisan support among legislators it will eventually head to an approving Gov. Kevin Stitt to sign into law.
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