by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports

State lawmakers are not just running bills to go after fentanyl traffickers this session. They’re also trying to give unsuspecting Idahoans the tools to detect if other drugs have been contaminated with the substance.

“This bill is one I considered bringing a few years ago, and I waited around just because I have a lot of friends in law enforcement and wanted to hear their opinions,” said Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls.

Idaho’s controlled substances code defines a broad range of drug paraphernalia. House Bill 441 would exclude from that list equipment used to identify whether a controlled substance contains fentanyl.

“This is just a wonderful tool. With a little strip of paper that costs a dollar or two, you can test any substance to make sure it doesn’t have fentanyl in it,” said House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise.

The bill received bipartisan support and sponsorship on the House floor.

“We’ve learned through research, across the board, that people reduce their usage when they have access to these products,” Erickson said. “They’re pretty cheap online, so you can purchase them already, and so I would hope that some people were using them. But at the same time, in Idaho code it was considered drug paraphernalia.”

Idaho Reports asked Gov. Brad Little at an Idaho Press Club event last week whether he is supportive of the idea.

“I’d have to see the details of it, but I think so,” Little said. “Just like I was on Narcan – because there were people that were opposed to Narcan.”

Narcan is the brand name for naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse symptoms of an opioid overdose.

The House passed the bill unanimously on Wednesday. It now advances to the Senate.

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