Network for Public Health Law, 3701 Wilshire Blvd #750, Los Angeles, CA 90010, United States.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 May 1;234:109425. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109425. Epub 2022 Mar 22.
Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are increasingly prevalent in the nation's illicit drug supply. While fentanyl-related deaths were previously confined largely to states east of the Mississippi, they are now increasing rapidly throughout much of the United States. Contaminants other than fentanyl are also present in illicitly obtained drugs. Using drug checking equipment to determine the contaminants that may be present in these drugs is a promising avenue for reducing overdose-related harm.
Systematic legal review in which three trained legal researchers collected, reviewed, and coded all US state laws that specify whether the possession and distribution of drug checking equipment is generally legal, whether is it legal in the context of syringe services programs, and, where possession or distribution of drug checking equipment is not clearly legal, the potential penalties for violation.
We find that it is clearly legal to possess some or all drug checking equipment in 22 states, and clearly legal to distribute it to adults in 19 states. In 14 states where distribution of drug checking equipment is not clearly legal generally, it is legal when that equipment is obtained from a syringe services program. Potential penalties for violations range from small civil fines to multi-year jail sentences.
There are currently great variations between states regarding the legality of drug checking equipment. Clarifying, modifying, or repealing drug paraphernalia laws would likely improve access to these promising technologies, potentially reducing overdose deaths.
芬太尼及其类似物在全美非法毒品供应中日益流行。虽然芬太尼相关的死亡此前主要局限于密西西比河以东的各州，但现在全美大部分地区的此类死亡人数正在迅速增加。在非法获得的毒品中也存在除芬太尼以外的污染物。使用毒品检测设备来确定这些药物中可能存在的污染物，是减少过量相关伤害的一个有前途的途径。
系统的法律审查，由三名经过培训的法律研究人员收集、审查和编码所有美国州法律，这些法律规定了拥有和分发毒品检测设备是否通常合法，在注射器服务项目的背景下是否合法，以及在拥有或分发毒品检测设备不明确合法的情况下，违反规定的潜在处罚。
我们发现，在 22 个州拥有某些或全部毒品检测设备是明确合法的，在 19 个州向成年人分发它也是明确合法的。在 14 个州，一般来说，分发毒品检测设备不明确合法，但如果该设备是从注射器服务项目中获得的，则合法。违反规定的潜在处罚从小额民事罚款到多年监禁不等。
目前各州之间在毒品检测设备的合法性方面存在很大差异。明确、修改或废除毒品用具法可能会改善这些有前途的技术的获取，从而有可能减少过量死亡人数。
