White House Ends Support for Fentanyl Test Strips in Policy Shift

The Trump administration is halting the use of federal funds to purchase or distribute drug-testing strips designed to detect fentanyl and other contaminants, marking a significant shift in federal drug policy.

In a letter sent to grant recipients, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said it was ending support for the strips because they are "intended for use by people using drugs."

The agency had supported the use of the strips since 2021 as part of a broader federal effort to reduce overdose deaths during a surge in fatalities linked to synthetic opioids.

The decision reverses a policy adopted during the Biden administration, which allowed federal funding for fentanyl test strips as overdose deaths climbed nationwide.

While the current administration did not immediately object when returning to office in 2025, officials have increasingly moved away from harm reduction strategies as part of a broader shift in drug policy.

Under the new guidance, federal funds may still be used for test strips in professional settings, including by public health officials, law enforcement personnel, and medical workers.

Fentanyl test strips, which cost about $1 each, are used to detect the presence of fentanyl as well as other substances such as xylazine and medetomidine, which have contributed to a more dangerous illicit drug supply in recent years.

Many states have legalized the strips in an effort to curb overdose deaths, which have remained a central public health challenge even as some recent data suggests fatalities have declined from peak levels seen earlier in the decade.

The policy change reflects the administration's broader opposition to harm reduction, an approach that aims to make drug use safer and connect people to treatment services.

In a statement outlining the shift, officials said, "To finally bring an end to this crisis and achieve the Great American Recovery, it is essential that the use of federal funding is aligned to common-sense public health strategies that focus on prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery."

They also described harm reduction as "an ideological concept ... which has been used to advocate for policies that are incompatible with federal laws and inconsistent with this Administration's priorities."

The move aligns with a wider strategy by the Trump administration that emphasizes enforcement, prevention, and recovery over harm reduction measures.

Federal officials have argued that certain harm reduction efforts "only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm," language that has appeared in prior administration directives targeting similar programs.

At the same time, the administration has continued to support other overdose prevention tools, including naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses.

SAMHSA said federal funding can still be used for naloxone distribution, infectious disease testing, and other prevention services.

The shift comes as the United States continues to grapple with the long-running opioid crisis, which has been driven largely by fentanyl and other synthetic drugs and has prompted evolving responses from federal policymakers across administrations.

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