Advocates for changing the state’s drug policies took over Sen. Joan Huffman’s Capitol office Thursday morning demanding her support for legislation that would legalize test strips that can detect fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is blamed for a rapidly growing number of overdose deaths.
The legislation has bipartisan support and the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who has made combating opioid overdose deaths a key issue this session. But the advocates say Huffman, a Houston Republican, is blocking the consideration of multiple bills to legalize the potentially lifesaving test strips.
“This bill needs to move,” said Paulette Soltani, director of organizing for the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, which organized the protest. “We need everybody to support this basic harm-reduction tool.”
