"I heard this man over here from the Cato Institute say, well, it was because of demand. ... They didn't want fentanyl. They thought they were getting Percocets!"
The war on drugs makes it difficult to get Percocet and other opioids. Because of that difficulty, people turn to the black market and disreputable dealers that are frequently peddling fentanyl purported to be something else. The war on drugs also drives the demand for opioids (with other substances prohibited) to significant degree.
"And they say oh let's just give them the strips."
The war on drugs also means "drug paraphernalia" is frequently prohibited. Fentanyl testing strips are an inexpensive and effective means of checking for the presence of fentanyl in contraband, but heroes of the war on drugs justify outlawing them because they "promote consumption of illicit drugs." Testing can be the difference between an addict's fix and a fentanyl overdose. Fentanyl testing strips are prohibited in 42 states and Washington DC.
This is sheer lunacy. The war on drugs doesn't solve the problem of drug use. The war on drugs claims lives.