Drug checking services at music festivals and events in a Canadian setting

McCrae, Karen; Tobias, Samuel; Tupper, Kenneth W.; Arredondo, Jaime; Henry, Bonnie; Mema, Silvina C.; Wood, Evan; Ti, Lianping

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107589

Cited by 39 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In this context, drug checking gained attention as a harm reduction intervention with potential to mitigate overdose risks. Drug checking services (DCS) seek to provide people who use drugs (PWUD) with personalized information on the chemical composition of their drugs and increase awareness of their exposure to harmful adulterants [9][10][11][12]. Historically, DCS have been implemented mostly in party and music festival settings around the world but have not been well deployed in other drug scenes [11][12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drug checking services (DCS) seek to provide people who use drugs (PWUD) with personalized information on the chemical composition of their drugs and increase awareness of their exposure to harmful adulterants [9][10][11][12]. Historically, DCS have been implemented mostly in party and music festival settings around the world but have not been well deployed in other drug scenes [11][12][13][14][15]. Amidst an opioid overdose crisis, drug checking creates an opportunity to provide harm reduction education, counselling, and referrals to other services (e.g., drug treatment), as well as monitor trends in the illicit drug supply market [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As described elsewhere [16], the drug-checking technologies used in this setting included fentanyl immunoassay strips in 2016 and the combination of Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and fentanyl immunoassay strips since 2017. The FTIR is capable of identifying and quantifying a wide range of substances in mixture submitted for analysis, while the testing strips can qualitatively detect a low concentration of fentanyl presence in the drug sample [7,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors associated with drug checking service utilization among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting

Long

Arredondo

et al. 2020

Harm Reduct J

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Background The United States and Canada are amidst an opioid overdose crisis, with the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) among the hardest hit. In response, drug checking services (DCS) have been introduced in this setting as a novel pilot harm reduction intervention though little is known about usage rates. Therefore, we sought to identify factors associated with drug checking uptake among people who use drugs (PWUD) in Vancouver, BC. Methods Data were derived from three ongoing prospective cohort studies of PWUD in Vancouver between June and November 2018. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with self-reported DCS utilization in the past 6 months among participants at high risk of fentanyl exposure (i.e., those self-reporting illicit opioid use or testing positive for fentanyl via urine drug screen). Results Among 828 eligible participants, including 451 (55%) males, 176 (21%) reported recent use of DCS. In multivariable analyses, factors significantly associated with DCS utilization included: homelessness (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.47; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.01–2.13) and involvement in drug dealing (AOR 1.59; 95% CI 1.05–2.39). Conclusions In our sample of PWUD, uptake of DCS was low, although those who were homeless, a sub-population known to be at a heightened risk of overdose, were more likely to use the services. Those involved in drug dealing were also more likely to use the services, which may imply potential for improving drug market safety. Further evaluation of drug checking is warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors associated with drug checking service utilization among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting

Long

Arredondo

et al. 2020

Harm Reduct J

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“…At multiple music festivals and events in 2018, 4.2% of the 336 samples submitted to an on-site DC service were expected to be SPs such as 2C-x, DMT, 4-AcO-DMT, and 4-HO-MET [48]. Among all categories of substances tested, multiple NPS were found, including the SP 2C-x (n = 7) and 31 unknown substances.…”

Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An analytical challenge is also presented by the substantial number of novel SPs, for which the reference standards or mass spectrum of recently evolved substances may not be available in libraries, so substances' identification may be missed [68]. As not all DC services have the means to quantify SPs with MS, qualitative techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy [48], Raman spectroscopy (RS) [50], low-voltage paper spray ionisation quadrupole time-offlight (QTOF)-MS [90], thin-layer chromatography (TLC), or colorimetric reagent tests [4] may be used at least for qualitative analysis, i.e. to detect the presence or absence of a component.…”

Section: Challenges For Drug Checking In Reducing Psychedelic-related Harmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safer Tripping: Serotonergic Psychedelics and Drug Checking. Submission and Detection Rates, Potential Harms, and Challenges for Drug Analysis

et al. 2021

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Purpose of Review With the continuous emergence of new psychoactive substances, drug checking (DC) services are challenged by an increasingly complex drug market. Considering the resumed scientific and public interest in serotonergic psychedelics (SPs) like LSD, psilocybin, and 2C-B, we present the results of a literature search investigating the presence and proportion of SPs in DC samples. Recent Findings In 15 identified reports, submission and detection rates of SPs were comparably low, but increasing. Samples contained considerable amounts of adulterations or analogues, mostly novel SPs with unknown toxicological profiles and in some cases potentially life-threatening effects. The detection of SPs, however, requires advanced analysis techniques currently not available to most DC services. Summary Given the substantial proportion of novel SPs in DC samples and the associated risks, DC can be a valuable harm reduction and monitoring tool for SPs if analysis techniques with high sensitivity are employed.

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Evaluation of an electrochemical sensor and comparison with spectroscopic approaches as used today in practice for harm reduction in a festival setting—A case study: Analysis of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples

Deconinck,

Polet,

Canfyn

et al. 2023

Drug Testing and Analysis

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More and more countries and organisations emphasise the value of harm reduction measures in the context of illicit drug use and abuse. One of these measures is drug checking, a preventive action that can represent a quick win by tailored consultation on the risks of substance use upon analytical screening of a submitted sample. Unlike drop‐in centres that operate within a fixed setting, enabling drug checking in a harm reduction context at events requires portable, easy to use analytical approaches, operated by personnel with limited knowledge of analytical chemistry. In this case study, four different approaches were compared for the characterisation of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples and this in the way the approaches would be applied today in an event context. The four approaches are mid‐infrared (MIR), near‐infrared, and Raman spectroscopy, which are today used in drug checking context in Belgium, as well as an electrochemical sensor approach initially developed in the context of law enforcement at ports. The MIR and the electrochemical approach came out best, with the latter allowing for a direct straightforward analysis of the percentage 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (as base equivalent) in the samples. However, MIR has the advantage that, in a broader drug checking context, it allows to screen for several molecules and so is able to identify unexpected active components or at least the group to which such components belong. The latter is also an important advantage in the context of the growing emergence of new psychotropic substances.

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Drug checking services at music festivals and events in a Canadian setting

Cited by 39 publications

References 13 publications

Factors associated with drug checking service utilization among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting

Factors associated with drug checking service utilization among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting

Safer Tripping: Serotonergic Psychedelics and Drug Checking. Submission and Detection Rates, Potential Harms, and Challenges for Drug Analysis

Evaluation of an electrochemical sensor and comparison with spectroscopic approaches as used today in practice for harm reduction in a festival setting—A case study: Analysis of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples

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