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(The Center Square) – Three fentanyl-related bills are moving through the Illinois General Assembly.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in 2021, there were more than 3,000 opioid overdose deaths in Illinois. Since 2008, nearly 11,000 people have died due to opioid overdoses, many times because fentanyl was an unknown factor.
State Sen. Paul Faraci, D-Champaign, is sponsoring a measure to expand access to overdose prevention supplies for providers enrolled in the Illinois Department of Human Service’s Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Division Drug Overdose Prevention Team. House Bill 1121 would increase access to fentanyl test strips and improve public health outcomes by preventing fatal overdose, he said.
“These testing strips are a crucial tool for detecting fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is often mixed into other drugs without the user’s knowledge,” Faraci said. “This action will help prevent accidental overdose and keep people alive.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, introduced similar legislation weeks ago, but is now a cosponsor of this bill.
Another measure, House Bill 1557, would require for-profit music venues that have an occupancy of 1,000 or more to have opioid-overdose antidotes.
“When people go to these festivals and concerts, sometimes they make bad choices, bad decisions, but that shouldn’t cost them their lives,” said state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago.
The third bill, House Bill 3924, would require all high school students enrolled in a state-required health course to learn about the dangers of fentanyl.
Illinois ranks sixth nationally in nonfatal opioid overdoses, according to an analysis of National Emergency Medical Services Information System data. The number suggests opioid use is high in Illinois, but safety precautions, like naloxone overdose treatments, are saving lives.
This article First appeared in the center square
