On Thursday Oct. 27, the Public Health Student Association (PHSA) holds a table to inform students about fentanyl; its health risks, signs of an overdose and harm-reduction strategies.

This was a part of a collaboration with other health organizations like the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Cal State LA Public Safety in honor of National Substance Use Prevention month.

A recent article released by the Washington Post describes the potency of fentanyl. It was reported that only 2 milligrams of fentanyl are needed to overdose.

Joed Garbo, PHSA President, said they wanted to focus on the topic of fentanyl facts to inform students about what the opioid is, what signs of an overdose are and harm-reduction strategies. 

“We provided students with fentanyl test strips to inform them about free resources that are available to prevent fatality of fentanyl laced drugs,” Garbo said.

According to the drug test kit instructions, one needs to use about half a cup of water and only the residue of the drug you would like to test. Hold the test strip by the solid blue side and be sure not to bend it; you can also tilt the water sample. Hold the test strip while it’s in the water sample for 15 seconds, do not go past the solid blue line. After 15 seconds, lay the strip on a non-absorbent surface. Results may take a few minutes.

One line on the strip means fentanyl is present in the sample. Two lines mean fentanyl is not present in the sample.

“[I] think they’re beneficial. I think it brings awareness and it helps people make conscious decisions.” Lorenzo Broadnax psychology major, said 

Criminal Justice major Angelina Gomez said she did not know fentanyl tests were being handed out. Gomez said these resources being offered are important to have, due to the ease of being exposed to fentanyl.

A representative from the Student Health Center confirmed they are in the process of ordering a supply of naloxone nasal sprays, Narcan. It will be available for students on campus in the near future. 

The representative also confirmed the Student Health Center is finalizing the process for providing the required training for students who wish to receive the naloxone and also providing resources for additional educational training and resources.

“We’ll be able to provide further details about the training and educational resources in the coming weeks. “ the representative said

This story was updated on Nov. 8 at 12:50 p.m. to fix grammar issues.