Indiana law classifies tools that test the “strength, effectiveness, or purity of a controlled substance” as paraphernalia. This created a “gray area” for fentanyl test strips. The Senate passed legislation to clarify tools that check for the presence of a substance would no longer be considered paraphernalia.

Indiana lawmakers are closer than ever to declassifying fentanyl test strips as paraphernalia. A Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday that would make an exception to the statute to allow tools that test for the presence of certain substances.

Overdose Lifeline distributed more than 170,000 test strips in 2023. Advocates said they are more interested in saving lives than "getting held up on those gray areas" – which is where the legality of the test strip exists in Indiana code.