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. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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- Baldwin Helps Advance Bipartisan Bill to Address Opioid and Fentanyl Crisis - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Dec 14th, 2023
- DHS and DOJ Announce Dose of Reality Roundtable Discussions on Wisconsin’s Opioid Epidemic - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 6th, 2023
- Limited Supply of Narcan Prevents Milwaukee Groups From Saving Lives - Edgar Mendez - Dec 1st, 2023
- MUPD, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery partner to install Nalox-ZONE boxes on Marquette campus - Marquette University - Oct 12th, 2023
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Recent Press Releases by State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez
