Drug Checking Locations
FTIR
Test Strip
UPHNS
Remote FTIR
Visiting a music festival this summer?
Check your drugs at our Mobile Testing Unit.
Our Mobile Testing Unit will be on location at the following festival(s).
Merritt, BC July 11-14
Drug checking hours:
12pm to 12am Friday 12th to Sunday 14th
Type of tests:
FTIR analysis and testing strips
Salmo, BC July 25-28
Drug checking hours:
10:30am to 1:30am Wednesday 23rd to Sunday 28th
Type of tests:
FTIR analysis and testing strips
Fairmont August 28th to September 1st
Drug checking hours:
12pm to 12am Thursday August 28 and 10am to 2am Friday 29th to Sunday September 1st
Type of tests:
FTIR analysis and testing strips
Drug checking is offered by appointment and by drop-in at some locations. Call ahead to find out more.
FTIR may not be able to detect substances present in small amounts. While FTIR testing can provide some information about what’s in your drug, it cannot give specific quantities.
FTIR Drug Checking FAQ
What is an FTIR spectrometer?
A Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometer is an instrument that can detect components in a substance by using infrared light.
What can be detected by FTIR?
FTIR can detect a wide range of substances from cocaine, MDMA, fentanyl and ketamine to a large variety of designer drugs. It can also reliably detect common fillers. Our database contains over 10 000 possible substances.
How does the drug check work?
- FTIR testing is fast. The process takes around 5-10 minutes.
- A very small amount of the substance is required. The sample is placed on a crystal under the infrared laser. The laser shines on the substance and records its chemical signature, which is then compared and matched to the substances in the database.
- Once the check is complete your sample can be returned to you if you are testing in person.
How accurate is drug checking with FTIR?
- FTIR drug checking will not be able to detect new or rare substances that are not in the database.
- FTIR drug checking cannot always tell the difference between substances that have a very similar chemical make-up. For example, certain analogues of fentanyl.
- Substances present in small amounts may be missed by the FTIR. For example, carfentanil is not often detected with the FTIR.
- FTIR drug checking can provide some information on how much of a substance has been detected and the presence (or absence) of fillers; however, it cannot give specific quantities.
- Due to the limitations – testing with fentanyl test strips is used along with FTIR to improve the accuracy of the results.
Where can I access FTIR drug checking?
Check out the drug checking map above to find out the nearest FTIR drug checking site.
Fentanyl Test Strips
Fentanyl test strips are easy to use -you can get the test done at one of our testing locations and/or get trained to do the test yourself and take some strips with you. If you decide to get the test done at one of our testing locations your drugs will bein your possession at all times.
How the test is done:
Watch a video on how to use the strips or download detailed instructions here.
Strips only test for fentanyl within the sample provided. Fentanyl may still be present in the remainder of your drug batch.
Strips may occasionally report a negative result when fentanyl or an analogue is present.
Fentanyl Test Strips FAQs
How long does drug checking with a fentanyl testing strip take?
- Under 5 minutes.
What drugs can be checked?
- The test strips can be used to check any drug for fentanyl.
- Only a very small amount of the drug (about the size of a grain of salt) is required to complete the test.
How does it work?
Fentanyl test strips can be used to check a substance for fentanyl before you use or to test a person’s urine within three days after using. You can have your drugs checked at one of our drug checking locations or get trained and then take the strips home to use yourself.
Take Home Drug Checking
What do the test results mean?
- A positive result means that fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue (another drug that is like fentanyl) has been found in the drug sample and could be in other parts of the batch.
- The test strips cannot tell you how much fentanyl is in the drug.
- A negative result means that the test strip did not detect fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue within the tested drug sample.
- A negative result does not guarantee that the drug is free from fentanyl or any of its analogues – fentanyl is NOT mixed evenly into street drugs.
- A negative test result does not mean that a substance is safe.
How accurate are testing strips?
- The results are not always 100% accurate. A negative result does not guarantee that the drug sample is free from fentanyl or any of its analogues.
- Some fentanyl analogues may be less reliably detected.
- A fentanyl is often mixed unevenly into other drugs, the sample selected for the test may not have contained fentanyl but the drug may still be present in other parts of the batch.
- Other opioids that are not fentanyl, like nitazenes, are not be detected by the strips.
If I get my drugs checked at a drug checking location, will my drugs be confiscated (taken away) if they test positive?
- If your drugs test positive they will not be taken away.
- If you wish to get rid of your drugs, you can throw them away at the test site.
- If you decide to take your drugs with you, information on how to reduce the risk of overdose will be provided.
Do I have to give my name or any other identifying information? Is this service confidential?
- This process is confidential – you will not be asked to provide your name or any other information that identifies who you are.
- We do not record anything else than the appearance of the drug and the results of the test.
If I go to a drug checking location, will I have to see a counsellor?
- Drug checking will be done by a service provider such as a social worker, nurse, outreach worker, or peer. They will ask you some non-identifying questions to help us evaluate the service and monitor the drug supply. You will not be required to talk to a counsellor about drug treatment services. However, if you want to find out about other services, including treatment options, staff will be able to provide you with information or make a referral.