Federal funds can't be used to give test strips to drug users, raising overdose fears

A drug user uses a test strip on Aug. 22, 2018, in New York, to see if fentanyl has been added to heroin, which could increase the risk of overdose. Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo hide caption

Last year, Baltimore had three mass overdose incidents in the span of three months in its Penn North neighborhood.

In one incident, more than two dozen people were hospitalized after many were found unresponsive , lying in the streets or on sidewalks. No one died, but some came close.

This story was produced in partnership with KFF Health News .

Follow-up testing found that the street drugs contained high levels of N-methylclonazepam, a benzodiazepine that operates similarly to Xanax or Valium.

Like opioids, benzodiazepines suppress breathing. When they're combined, the risk of overdose goes up. And benzodiazepines don't respond to opioid overdose reversal drugs.

Afterward, the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition created test strips specifically for benzodiazepines. The group distributed them — along with test strips that identify other harmful adulterants, such as fentanyl, xylazine , and medetomidine — at clinics and neighborhood events.

The strips, available at no cost, can also be found in bars and spread out on street corners. People testing drugs mix a small amount with water and then dip a test strip into the liquid. The strip will change color if it identifies an adulterant.