California law now requires fentanyl test strips on community and state college campuses, and strips are appearing in vending machines, bars, and other venues. The strips aim to detect fentanyl in counterfeit prescription pills and tainted recreational drugs to help young people avoid deadly exposure. Experts warn that test strips alone can create a false sense of security and sometimes lead to unintended harm. A described case involved a high-achieving teenager who died after taking pills he believed were Percocet that contained fentanyl. Practical testing revealed limitations in strip reliability and real-world risks for users.
CBS News California Investigates (Editor's Note: This story is not about fentanyl addiction, which is a separate serious issue. This story is for people who would never intentionally take fentanyl, and their families and their kids' friends. Sharing this story could save a life.) Fentanyl test strips used to be illegal in California. Now, state law requires them on community and state college campuses, and they're popping up everywhere from vending machines to bars. They're intended to help young people avoid fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription pills and tainted recreational drugs. But as fentanyl test strips are normalized - from high school to college to bachelor parties - experts warn test strips alone can provide a false sense of security, and in some cases do more harm than good. We put fentanyl test strips to the test, and what we found could save someone you know.
He taught himself how to play piano. He played violin in the orchestra. He was a straight-A student. He starred in the school musical. He got a nearly perfect score on the SATs. He was on the track team and the soccer team. Zach was the kind of guy who was never sitting still. "He was really athletic. That was another reason I thought he wouldn't be interested in trying any kinds of substances," Zach's mother, Laura Didier explained. But he did. It was the week of Christmas 2020. Zach, like many kids, was struggling with COVID lockdown loneliness and the first COVID-era holiday season without extended family and friends.
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