Governor Reeves signs bill decriminalizing fentanyl testing strips

MISSISSIPPI (WDAM) – According to our statewide news partner WDAM, Governor Tate Reeves announced Tuesday afternoon that he has signed a bill that will decriminalize fentanyl testing strips.

Reeves made the announcement on his Facebook page, saying that House Bill 722 “will help save lives.”

Back in January, a proposal to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips was brought by State Rep. Lee Yancy, along with parents in Mississippi pushing to have lawmakers make at-home fentanyl testing strips legal in the state.

WDAM has spoken with people in the Pine Belt area recently about how they felt about decriminalizing fentanyl test strips.

One Pine Belt resident reportedly was passing test strips out at his business in Hattiesburg, which was illegal at the time, but wanted to raise awareness after he lost his son to a fentanyl overdose in 2015.

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