Kansas Republicans To Junkies: You're On Your Own, Good Luck!!!

A quick reminder about governmental philosophy . . . 

Harm reduction, or harm minimization, refers to a range of public health policies designed to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal.

In this instance we're not talking about heroin shooting dens run by the government or Prez Biden crack pipes . . . Just harmless strips that might save the lives of people dealing with A MOSTLY POOR WHITE DRUG EPIDEMIC that is more widespread than most people care to imagine . . .

Fentanyl test strips are now legal in at least 22 states. In Kansas and Missouri, the strips are considered drug paraphernalia.

House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Jason Probst (D) Hutchinson tried a last-minute effort to attach the fentanyl test strip measure to a larger bill about controlled substances. But the Republican-controlled House of Representatives defeated the plan, effectively saying the amendment would not have passed in the Senate.

“It's really disappointing that just a handful of people, who I feel don't have full information, have been able to derail this,” Probst said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Fentanyl test strips decriminalization derails in Kansas legislature

A measure to decriminalize the use of fentanyl test strips failed to pass in the Kansas legislature on the last day of its session. The measure would have allowed at-home rapid tests to spot the deadly drug fentanyl in recreational drugs.

Small Towns and Rural Areas Hit Hard by Opioid Crisis

Small Towns and Rural Areas Hit Hard by Opioid Crisis Once associated with wholesome adventures and built-in innocence, rural America has been a place people want to raise their children. Populated with tight-knit families and trusted neighbors, small towns have symbolized open doors, potluck dinners, high school sporting events, Fourth of July parades, and gossip.

To be fair, urban communities are quickly catching up . . .

Black Americans have overtaken white victims in opioid death rates

T HE TYPICAL face of America's opioid epidemic has long been that of a white man from a post-industrial town in the Appalachian mountains. White victims have accounted for 78% of the more than 500,000 opioid-overdose deaths since the late 1990s. In 2017 counties in Appalachia experienced rates 72% higher than the average for the rest of the country.

Developing . . .