Legal Reform Meets Harm Reduction: Georgia Senate Bill 6 and the Push for National Access to Life-Saving Drug Test Strips
By: Erica Stokes
In an effort to combat the growing opioid overdose crisis, Georgia has enacted Senate Bill 6, which modernizes state law to explicitly legalize the use of drug analysis tools such as fentanyl test strips. Sponsored by Senator Kay Kirkpatrick, the bill allows these strips to be used for detecting dangerous adulterants—such as synthetic opioids—without classifying them as illegal “drug-related objects” under Georgia law (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI] Georgia, n.d.).
This legislative change addresses a longstanding issue where life-saving harm reduction tools, though medically beneficial, were often restricted due to their classification as drug paraphernalia. With SB 6 in effect, public health providers, harm reduction advocates, first responders, and individuals in the community are now empowered to legally use test strips to identify contaminated substances, particularly those laced with fentanyl. Such preventative measures are crucial in reducing unintentional overdose deaths, which continue to climb both in Georgia and nationwide.
At the federal level, the Expanding Nationwide Access to Test Strips Act (S. 2484), introduced in 2023 by Senator Cory Booker and co-sponsored by several others, aligns with Georgia’s direction. The bill asserts that no state should prohibit the possession, use, or distribution of drug testing technologies such as fentanyl or xylazine strips (S. 2484, 2023). It was introduced following alarming statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reported over 109,000 drug overdose deaths in 2022—69% of which involved synthetic opioids (S. 2484, 2023, §2).
Critically, both SB 6 and S. 2484 emphasize that test strips are not just tools but essential public health interventions. Research shows that individuals with access to test strips are more likely to alter their behavior and avoid potentially fatal exposure to contaminated drugs. Despite this, as of 2023, test strips remained illegal in several states under outdated paraphernalia laws.
By enacting SB 6, Georgia not only joins a growing number of states embracing harm reduction but also strengthens the case for federal action to ensure nationwide consistency. As the opioid epidemic evolves, so must the tools and policies used to fight it. Legalizing test strips represents a pragmatic, science-backed step toward saving lives and promoting safer communities.
References
National Alliance on Mental Illness Georgia. (n.d.). Senate Bill 6: Test strips not considered drugs by Senator Kirkpatrick [Informational flyer]. https://namiga.org
- 2484, 118th Cong. (2023). Expanding Nationwide Access to Test Strips Act. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/2484/text