VANCOUVER, Wash. — Higher education institutions in Washington are forming plans to get the distribution of fentanyl testing strips and Narcan, as well as informational sessions on the powerful synthetic opioid, in motion at their schools.
In addition, staff working in residence halls must be trained in administering the medication Narcan, known generically as naloxone, which can reverse potentially fatal opioid overdoses.
This follows the passage of Washington's House Bill 2112 earlier this year. In some states, fentanyl test strips are illegal, but no longer in Washington. The hope is that this move will help prevent accidental fentanyl overdose deaths.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, the percentage of drug overdose deaths involving a synthetic opioid like fentanyl increased from 39% in 2020 to 76% in 2023. The statistics for 2023 are not yet finalized.
While Clark County's numbers are lower, they also rose from 38% in 2020 to 65% drug overdose deaths involving a synthetic opioid in 2023.
Clark County is where Washington State University Vancouver and Clark College are both located, which are two colleges that both aim to distribute the supplies sometime during the fall, before the end of the semester.
“There's a lot of conversation about whether students are going to feel comfortable receiving a fentanyl test strip over the counter from a staff member, and will they be tracked, and what are we going to do with that information?" said Eric Scott, senior director for engagement and well-being at WSU Vancouver. "And so, we want to make sure that we resolve some of those questions before we start distributing the fentanyl test strips to make sure that students are comfortable with the process that we're creating.”
He said schools were not given much of a plan in how to implement this, so it will be a work in progress.
"We're gonna host workshops here on our campus to help educate students on opioid overdose awareness. And then we are going to promote the fact that we can deliver these supplies, which is both Narcan and fentanyl test strips, through the Student Wellness Center," said Scott.
A spokesperson for Clark College also wrote in a statement:
"Primarily, we are identifying what areas to store them and which departments would oversee the storage and distribution. And we are also working on an internal awareness mini-campaign to make sure the students know where to go for these resources."
Dr. Kevin Fischer, chief medical officer at Columbia River Mental Health Services, said this could save lives.
"I think the opportunity for fentanyl test strips to really save lives is when they're made available to individuals that are using drugs and not expecting those drugs to be fentanyl," said Fischer.
He noted how fentanyl has been found in several drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine.
"Now, most drug deaths in Clark County and southwest Washington, if somebody dies from drugs, it's usually involving fentanyl," he said. "The ability to sort out whether fentanyl is in a drug sample is critical. Whether it will show up in our drug death numbers remains to be seen."
While the strips are a great resource to have, he also said it's important to remember that they don't reveal how much fentanyl is in a drug, and they can be inaccurate.
"A fentanyl test strip doesn't mean that a drug is safe, it means that it is safer, and so we still do see plenty of deaths on college campuses from the use of drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy,” Fischer added.