South Dakota lawmakers took the first step Wednesday to decriminalizing strips that can be used to detect fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is causing a wave of overdose deaths across the country.

Currently, fentanyl strips could be construed as drug paraphernalia under state law, but Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt has introduced legislation to specifically exempt them. Rehfeldt, a Sioux Falls Republican and a nurse anesthetist, said the availability of fentanyl strips will save lives.

Fentanyl is produced in China, and record amounts have been pouring across the Southern Border with Mexico, leading to sharp increases in overdose deaths.

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