Ortiz-Velez Resolution Supporting Fentanyl Testing Strip Legalization Adopted by County Board
MILWAUKEE – The County Board of Supervisors today unanimously adopted a resolution by Supervisor Sylvia Ortiz-Velez calling on the State of Wisconsin to legalize fentanyl testing strips.
“Everyone should be concerned that between 2015 and 2020 the number of overdose deaths involving fentanyl in the county went from 8% to 73%,” said Supervisor Ortiz-Velez.
Possessing fentanyl testing strips is illegal under current state law for both community members and first responders. Without access to testing strips drug users risk overdose from the otherwise undetectable presence of fentanyl.
“Fentanyl testing strips can be used to detect the presence of fentanyl in a substance and prevent accidental overdoses,” Supervisor Ortiz-Velez said. “Law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters are often among the first at the scene. They’re the ones who might encounter expected overdoses, and the ability to ascertain if fentanyl was involved will help them do their job.”
Community leaders including TEAM HAVOC and Milwaukee Heroin Diaries founder Rafael Mercado, God Touch Ministries pastor Marty Calderon, and State Senator Lena Taylor showed enthusiastic support for this resolution.
Supervisors Willie Johnson Jr., Eddie Cullen, Ryan Clancy, Steven Shea, Sequanna Taylor, Joseph J. Czarnezki, Priscilla Coggs-Jones, and Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson co-sponsored the resolution and understand the importance of our State Legislature taking up this issue.
The resolution now heads to the desk of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Opioid Crisis
- Milwaukee County Outreach Team Going Door-to-Door Handing Out Narcan in High Overdose Areas - Evan Casey - Nov 14th, 2024
- DHS Launches New System to Help Communities Track and Respond to Overdose - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Nov 14th, 2024
- Attorney General Kaul and Bipartisan Coalition of 30 States Announce Settlement with Kroger Over Opioid Crisis - Wisconsin Department of Justice - Nov 6th, 2024
- Baldwin Calls on Biden Administration to Investigate China’s Role in Fueling the Fentanyl Crisis - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Oct 23rd, 2024
- Baldwin Brings Home $750,000 for Northeastern Wisconsin to Combat Fentanyl and Opioid Epidemic - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Sep 27th, 2024
- AG Kaul Meets with EMS Leave Behind Program Recipients - Wisconsin Department of Justice - Sep 17th, 2024
- MKE County: Crowley Signs Opioid Program Funding - Graham Kilmer - Sep 10th, 2024
- Serenity Inns Opens New Addiction Treatment Center in Milwaukee - Serenity Inns - Aug 14th, 2024
- MKE County: County Nearly Doubles Narcan Vending Machines - Graham Kilmer - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Announces Placement of Eight Additional Harm Reduction Vending Machines - County Executive David Crowley - Aug 12th, 2024
Read more about Opioid Crisis here
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Recent Press Releases by State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez
