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Committee advances bill removing fentanyl test strips from paraphernalia statute to support harm reduction
Summary
House Bill 1167 would exempt drug testing tools such as fentanyl test strips from the state's paraphernalia statute. Supporters including medical and public‑health advocates said the change would reduce overdose deaths and align state law with harm‑reduction practice; the committee passed the amended bill 9–0.
House Bill 1167 would clarify that fentanyl and other drug test strips are not paraphernalia under Indiana law, a change proponents said would let people who use drugs test substances without risking a paraphernalia charge. Supporters told the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee the change is intended to save lives by enabling harm‑reduction practices.
Representative Meltzer, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure “clearly removes test strips for things like Xylazine or fentanyl from the paraphernalia statute,” and that the goal is to ensure “individuals who are in active addiction have a way to test their drugs without picking up a paraphernalia charge and then also hopefully be here tomorrow to receive treatment and care.”
Jane Hartstock of the Good Trouble Coalition of Indiana described a coalition of health and public‑health stakeholders supporting the bill. “HB 1167 is a significant step toward enhancing harm reduction strategies and improving public health outcomes,” Hartstock said, and argued that decriminalizing test strips would allow users and families to identify dangerous substances and reduce fatal overdoses.
Dr. Allison Case, a primary‑care physician who works at a federally qualified health center and testified on behalf of the Indiana State Medical Association, said fentanyl test strips are an additional tool that can reduce deaths when paired with other measures such as naloxone distribution.
The committee reported a 9–0 vote in favor of the amended bill. Testimony during the hearing was uniformly supportive; no committee opposition was recorded during the meeting.
