Researcher seeks funding for fentanyl test strip research

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia University researcher is seeking funding to study whether using fentanyl testing strips changes the behavior of drug users.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports fentanyl is a powerful opioid that is increasingly involved in drug-related deaths. Some harm reduction programs use the strips to warn drug users of the presence of fentanyl.

Dr. Judith Feinberg is a professor at the WVU School of Medicine. She told the paper people might be safer knowing there is fentanyl in their drugs. But people could also use the strips to seek out dangerous drug doses.

Feinberg and researcher Jon Zibbel are asking the National Institute on Drug Abuse to fund the research. They plan to study harm reduction programs at Milan Puskar Health Right, in Morgantown, and a program in North Carolina.

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Information from: The Charleston Gazette-Mail, http://wvgazettemail.com.

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