Drug Checking Saves Lives!

Learn How To Save a Life!

Today's Learning Moment 05-08-23 – Drug Checking

Written by and for people with Lived Experience - Port Alberni Community Action Team - Families Helping Families.

Drug checking is probably one of the very best ways to protect yourself or someone you love who uses substances. Yet, presently it’s not commonly used anywhere near as much as it should be. We’ll explore some reasons why and give some outstanding reasons to jump on board. The very first thing we want to say is that anyone can participate. It doesn’t have to be just people who use substances. Family members or even friends who love someone that uses substances can help! We have an awesome story we’ll share later on in this article that shows this.

Here in BC, drug-checking programs have been around for a few years. We’re steadily adding more locations and also different ways to get your drugs checked.

Drug or substance-checking programs are part of evidence-based harm reduction strategies. Those are all fancy words that basically mean drug checking saves lives AND it’s backed up by science. Go here for more info on harm reduction.

Seems like it would be so natural to be curious about what we put in our bodies. Just about everything we buy at our supermarkets and pharmacies has a label that includes ingredients and the strength of those ingredients. Wouldn’t it be awesome if drugs from the street came with labels? That, of course, is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Not knowing what’s in unregulated substances makes drug-checking options even more important. Let’s make drug checking as widespread as possible. Right now, drug checking is not as widespread as it should be. We can all change that and save lives by getting everyone on board as soon as possible!

Frankly and foremost, the criminalization and resulting stigma around using substances is probably the greatest contributing factor to accessing drug checking. Many people who use substances don’t want others to know. Then there is the trust factor. Even though drug-checking programs are absolutely confidential, walking through the doors for the first time can be very intimidating for many people. That’s where family and friends can help or if you use substances, you could always walk into a drug checking centre and say you’re getting it tested for a “friend”.

Timeliness is a factor too. People who use drugs often need to take their substances as soon as possible. Taking an extra half an hour to get something tested isn’t usually in the cards. Of course, it is ALWAYS better to test a substance before taking it, however, even getting something tested after the fact can be extremely useful. You’ll know what to expect the next time and you’ll also know if what your supplier is telling you matches with what you get.

Let’s take a look at some of the awesome benefits of opting into a drug-checking program.

Besides meeting some really tremendous people who are extremely nice and compassionate towards people who use substances, the drug-checking program advantages also include:

1. Significantly increasing your safety. Drug-checking programs identify harmful substances, contaminants, or unexpected drug combinations. Drug checking also confirms the substance you expected is the substance you got. That gives people the power to make informed decisions about their substances. By knowing what is in the drugs that people plan to consume, they can avoid potentially dangerous substances and combinations. That can reduce the risk of overdose or other bad health outcomes.
2. Drug-checking programs can contribute to improved long-term health outcomes for people using substances. Accurate information about the potency and composition of their substances, allows people to better manage their use of substances and complications.
3. It helps others and the broader community. Drug-checking programs can reduce the risk of drug-related harm in the community by promoting safer drug use practices. Confidential results are posted regularly so everyone knows what is in the current drug supply.
4. It helps educate others. Services at drug-checking facilities usually include materials and help to educate people on how to use drugs safely and provide them with tools to reduce harm, such as sterile injection equipment. That helps to reduce the spread of blood-borne infections and other harms.
5. You also get to access support and possible treatment options. Those extremely nice people we mentioned also give out all kinds of other useful harm-reduction items and information.
6. When engaging with these programs, people may be more likely to take the next steps when they understand other options available to them and when they are ready to begin recovery or healing.
7. Drug-checking programs reduce the stigma associated with the use of substances by treating people who use drugs with respect and dignity. Those super nice people do this by providing non-judgmental support and information. By helping to reduce stigma, drug-checking programs promote a more inclusive and accepting community.
8. There are even other possibilities available if visiting drug-checking facilities isn’t your thing. You can mail in your drug sample and receive the results via email! You’ll find all these options in the resource links at the bottom of this article.

We think you can agree with us that there is a lot packed into this list of benefits. Even so, and to add context, it is important to add one more reason. One of the extremely dark sides of unregulated supply is how strong or potent a substance can be. It’s not just what is in a dose. It also how strong it is. For example, a prescribed fentanyl dose by a medical professional would be measured as 2 to 4 micrograms per litre. Some doses from the street tested via the drug checking programs have found doses as high as 50 micrograms per litre! That is 12 to 24 times higher than a normal dose and could be a lethal dose for most people. Drug checking unregulated substances gives you information so you know how much to take. That knowledge is priceless and will save lives.

Here is a real-life example of a test result – Sample 2 tested as: Parafluorofentanyl (A type of fentanyl) 60-65%, Caffeine 15-20%, Erythritol (a sugar) 15-20% by infrared spectrometer. This sample tested positive for benzodiazepines (less than 5%) by test strip. Please note: the fentanyl content of this sample is well above the average of down samples that are tested at this site and caution should be taken if this substance is consumed.)

We promised you a real-life story. This comes from a mom.

“My story starts by saying I have a loved one who has concurrent disorders. They presently exist on the Downtown East Side, of Vancouver. That word “exists” seems grating to me, but unless you’ve witnessed the conditions on the DTES, it’s impossible to imagine. I try to visit as often as I can, however living and working on Vancouver Island makes it difficult, Even so, I consider myself luckier than most parents. My family member is almost always glad to see me. We make small steps each time we’re together in exploring options that I hope will lead to a healing journey for them. For now, just being able to connect, hug them, and tell them how much they are loved has to be enough.

Over time, I’ve met many of my loved one’s friends. In some ways, they’ve become extended family. They know I care for them just as I do for my family member. That’s built trust between us over time. I never lie to them, so they have come to rely on me to sometimes tell them hard truths. Sometimes, it’s not what they want to hear, however, they know my words are driven because I care. I guess in some sense, I’m become a mom to more than just my family member.

I'm not exactly sure when over the past two years it started, but I do remember the first time. We were walking up Hastings Street en route to Ernest Ice Cream on Frances Street. We walked by "Get Your Drugs Tested" at 880 East Hastings, and I got excited. I convinced my family member and his friends to check it out - 'Please do it for me' - so that I could experience it. They each provided a sample of the “Down” (opioid/fentanyl) they had for testing, and I provided my email address for the results to be sent. The staff were wonderful. They answered a lot of questions and loaded us up with harm-reduction supplies, snacks and hot chocolate. The results came in as we were eating our ice cream, and the boys seemed genuinely interested in the results.

Since then, I have made drug testing and Ernest Ice Cream a regular event, and I invite new folks to join us each time. Every time a sample is submitted, one of the standard questions we are asked is "Have you used this?" - and so far, the answer has always been "Yes". I often add my two cents to the next question - "Have you noticed anything different or unusual about this batch?". I will let them know what differences I have observed.

My system has worked well and has become a normalized part of our routine. It has helped - in that, future purchases of “Down” with unwanted contaminants (benzos, xylazine) can be avoided, and any leftovers can be thrown away. The testing process has built trust between me and my friends. They know now that if I say I think there are benzos in what they smoked (despite what the dealer claimed), I am probably right, and that I am willing to prove it by taking a sample to the drug checking centre for testing. Unfortunately, though, there are barriers to getting the drugs tested before they are used. That's a really important missing link.

Yesterday I discovered another gap - a torturous one for me.

This weekend I collected three samples but I was delayed in getting them tested. I dropped them off just before heading home to the Island and received the results when I was driving up Island to my home. The results were by far the worst I have seen to date. I was mortified, horrified, terrified and panic-stricken - all at the same time! I had no way of contacting my friends to let them know that their current supply of “Down” could very well be their last!!! I never considered this when I rushed to get the samples into the drug checking centre on my way home from Vancouver. The positive outcomes of my drug testing are tied to my being on Hastings Street when the results come in - period, end of story. It only takes 15 to 20 minutes for results. How I wish I had waited before leaving my family member and his friends.

So now I wait, and now I get busy - staying as busy as I can until next Friday comes and I head back to Vancouver - back to Hastings - where I hope and pray to find my loved one and his friends (still) alive.

I have no other choice than to turn my fears and sense of helplessness into a brainstorming session on how I can contribute to closing the potentially deadly gaps in my drug-checking routine. Now I get busy - framing my next conversations with my friends on Hastings.”

Author – Mom’s Story, Robyn Rea – Robyn is a lived experience mom with family members who suffer from concurrent disorders. She advocates for people and families

Author: Ron Merk  – Ron is a person with lived experience who has family members with concurrent disorders. He advocates for people and families. (This article was written with the help of AI -accessing the combined knowledge of humanity)

Note: We may use words or phrases in our articles that are not first person, or the latest best-in-practice language. Sometimes we will use older, non-informed jargon. to clarify and inform people who are learning the new non-stigmatizing language. (linking old language usage to new terms) You can tell when you run into these old or non-inclusive words or phrases. They will be in quotation marks - eg old word “addiction” – When we introduce new inclusive language, words or phrases, they will be in Parenthesis - eg (people with substance disorders).

Families Helping Families is an initiative of the Port Alberni Community Action Team. We regularly send out "Learning Moment" articles to help folks understand substance disorders or concurrent disorders. Knowledge is vital in understanding these disorders of our family members. You may copy, distribute or share our articles as long as you retain the attribution. Add yourself to our distribution list by dropping us a note at - albernihelp@gmail.com

Resources:

·                 Vancouver Island Drug Checking Info and locations - https://substance.uvic.ca/

·                 DTES – Downtown Eastside 880 E Hastings, Vancouver - https://getyourdrugstested.com/

·                 Vancouver Coastal Health Region - https://www.vch.ca/en/service/drug-checking

·                 Fraser Health Region - https://www.fraserhealth.ca/Service-Directory/Services/mental-health-and-substance-use/drug-checking---fourier-transform-infrared-spectrometers-ftir#.ZE6ECHbMJdg

·                 Interior Health - https://drugchecking.ca/

·                 Northern Health - https://www.northernhealth.ca/health-topics/overdose-prevention#drug-checking