Feb. 15, 2023 — In December, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did an about-face on an issue that has been a flash point in the debate over decriminalization of drug paraphernalia: the use of test strips that can detect fentanyl, the synthetic opioid. Abbott had previously opposed legislation legalizing the test strips, but he cited a stunning 89% increase in fentanyl deaths in Texas the prior year.
“It’s an extraordinarily deadly problem,” Abbott said in a press conference where he explained his change of heart.
More than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States from September 2021 to September 2022,…
