Educate on the dangers of fentanyl. Distribute life-saving tools.
“The greatest public health crisis of this generation.”
Our mission is to educate young people about the dangers of Fentanyl. We offer outreach to schools, churches, youth groups, health fairs, sports teams, fraternities/sororities etc.
We also promise to bring tools —test strips and Narcan training— to enable your group to proactively manage risk. Fentanyl should not be winning this battle.
We help get young people closer to safe.
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1. Test it
First, think hard about whether or not to ingest any substance that may be poisoned with fentanyl, and second, if you opt to move forward with ingestion, use a tool –a test strip—to make sure the substance does not contain fentanyl. Always throw away any drug that tests positive. Instructions on how to use a test strip are below.
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2. Tell someone
After testing the substance, make an informed choice on whether or not to proceed with ingestion. If you decide to move forward, tell a friend first what you’re taking. Never ever use alone. This person should not be taking anything themselves so that they are able to help in the event of emergency.
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3. Narcan
Make sure there is Narcan in the room. Narcan is a life-saving drug that can reverse the effect of an overdose. It’s easy to use and if it’s nearby, it can be administered quickly to prevent death or serious injuries from fentanyl or other dangerous substances.
“Two out of three opioid-involved overdose deaths involve synthetic opioids, including illegally manufactured fentanyl. When used in combination with other drugs, with or without the user's knowledge, it can be poisonous and deadly.”
-President Joe Biden
It’s Always Best to Test
Fentanyl test strips are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in a variety of drugs, including drugs that are smoked, swallowed, or snorted. The strips can detect analogues of fentanyl also; analogs have chemical structures similar to fentanyl, but are slightly modified in the lab.
Knowing fentanyl is present in a drug gives you time to pause, think, and reconsider before ingesting.
“Our goal is to have a test strip in the hand of every high school and college student in America.”
-Beth Weinstock, Eli’s Mother
How to Use Fentanyl Test Strips
Fentanyl test strips are a powerful tool in detecting the potentially lethal presence of fentanyl in illegal pills and powders. The strips, if used correctly, have been determined to be 92-96% sensitive in detecting fentanyl. When testing with these strips, you acknowledge that no tool is 100% accurate all the time, and you agree that BirdieLight makes no representations that this tool is 100% accurate. You also acknowledge that any reliance you place on this tool is strictly at your own risk.
Remember, never use any substance when you are alone (tell a friend you are taking something!) and that friend should always know where the naloxone (Narcan) is.
The conversation begins here
What can you do to help? Start by donating and joining our email list, and we’ll let you know as more initiatives come to fruition.
Thank you to our current donors and partners.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is not intended as medical advice; Dr. Weinstock is a physician but not YOUR physician. While we advocate for the life-saving potential of tools such as fentanyl test strips and naloxone, BirdieLight is not the manufacturer of these tools, and no tool is 100% accurate all the time. BirdieLight makes no representations that these tools are 100% accurate; any reliance you place on them is strictly at your own risk. Please keep in mind that while fentanyl test strips are a powerful detection tool for the potentially-lethal presence of fentanyl in illegal pills and powder, the strips have been determined to be 92-96% sensitive in detecting fentanyl. Remember, never use any substance when you are alone (tell a friend you are taking something!) and that friend should always know where the naloxone (Narcan) is.