Hawaii lawmakers take steps to prevent fentanyl deaths
The deaths of two men from Hawaii following a suspected fentanyl overdose involving five people in a Waikiki hotel room over the weekend has spurred Hawaii lawmakers, including Gov. Josh Green, to move forward on measures designed to prevent deaths from the potent synthetic opioid.
Green said Tuesday in an email that he is going to sign Senate Bill 671, which legalizes possession of fentanyl test strips by exempting them from the definition of drug paraphernalia in the uniform Controlled Substances Act and which also defines a fentanyl test strip.
Green said, “It is very important to legalize fentanyl test strips. Fentanyl is 80 times more powerful than morphine, and it suppresses the respiratory system to the point that it is sometimes not possible to resuscitate patients with Narcan. Fentanyl is being laced into other drugs, and people are dying, as we saw with the tragic two deaths in Waikiki.”
