Could at-home test strips prevent drug deaths? Experts say yes, but it's complicated

Sarah Smellie · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 5:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

Canadians are dying unsocial from toxic drugs and experts accidental easier entree to at-home drug-testing strips could assistance forestall deaths. But they pass the strips person limitations.

Dr. Nash Denic, Newfoundland and Labrador's main aesculapian examiner, says that though the strips aren't perfect, they tin beryllium utile successful detecting if immoderate toxins are present. He would similar to spot a government-led aviator task to administer the strips on with naloxone kits, which reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

"There is simply a anticipation that harm tin beryllium reduced. Especially if you're a novice and you're trying a antithetic benignant of drug, you privation to trial it first," said Denic, adding that if utilized properly, trial strips "can prevention your life."

Dr. Alexander Caudarella, main enforcement serviceman of the Canadian Centre connected Substance Abuse, besides sees a payment successful making trial strips much disposable to radical successful their homes.

"We cognize astir of the radical successful this state are not dying connected the streets — they're dying down locked doors successful their ain apartments oregon houses," said Caudarella.

The strips tin beryllium portion of a larger strategy to enactment safe, which includes not consuming drugs alone, helium said.

But determination are caveats. The tests request to beryllium utilized decently and they won't accidental however overmuch contaminant is present, lone that it's there. The fig of toxins they tin observe is limited. Fentanyl trial strips, for example, won't prime up newer opioids, Caudarella says.

"It's not going to archer radical precisely what's successful their drugs, but we find these tools tin beryllium truly important to assistance radical recognize conscionable however contaminated the drugs that they're buying are," helium said.

This is particularly important for radical who judge their drugs are harmless due to the fact that they purchased them from a website oregon a idiosyncratic they trust, helium added.

BTNX Inc.'s Rapid Response tests are among the astir wide utilized tests strips successful Canada. The Ontario-based institution has strips for contaminants including fentanyl, xylazine, benzodiazepine and nitazene. The company's website says intelligibly that the strips don't trial for cause purity oregon information — they tin lone accidental if the people contaminant is present.

The strips tin beryllium purchased successful Canada online, oregon they tin beryllium recovered astatine harmless depletion sites oregon done different harm simplification services. They are placed successful a tiny magnitude of the drug, which has been dissolved successful water. A enactment appears connected the portion to bespeak the beingness of contaminants.

For those who request the strips immediately, and who whitethorn not usage oregon person entree to harm simplification services, options are limited. BTNX is inactive moving to connection them for merchantability successful ample retail chains, spokesperson Molly McKay said.

The institution is besides alert the trial strips tin miss toxic contaminants.

"We're continuously moving with our third-party researchers to find what those unsighted spots are, and past we marque corrections," said McKay.

Two teenagers died this twelvemonth successful Newfoundland and Labrador aft taking pills contaminated with nitazene, a potent synthetic opioid, and bromazolam, a benzodiazepine which tin beryllium lethal erstwhile taken with opioids, says Denic. Xylazine, a veterinary sedative, is simply a communal contaminant successful cocaine. And fentanyl deaths successful the state amusement nary signs of abating, though they've precocious been overtaken by cocaine.

Test strips could assistance radical enactment safer from immoderate of these toxins, Denic says. A affirmative trial effect whitethorn person idiosyncratic not to usage the cause oregon to usage overmuch little of it.

Ian Culbert, enforcement manager of the Canadian Public Health Association, says ideally, it would beryllium easier for radical to person their drugs checked by much precocious equipment, similar the tests disposable astatine immoderate harmless depletion sites successful the country. Their results are much accurate, and they tin beryllium utilized to way contaminants successful the section cause supply.

"In astir parts of the country, you tin locomotion into immoderate assemblage pharmacy and petition a take-home naloxone kit. That is however accessible well-developed drug-checking tests should be," said Culbert.

But still, take-home trial strips are "better than nothing," helium said.

Some person misguided beliefs that expanding drug-checking services volition yet promote much cause use, Culbert says, and worries those ideas crook decision-makers distant from making it easier to cheque and trial drugs.

"There is simply a continuum of nationalist wellness interventions that each tin assistance trim the fig of deaths associated with the toxic cause crisis. Drug checking is 1 of them," Culbert said. "We request to beryllium investing crossed the spectrum, not conscionable ideologically picking the ones that suit the docket of the authorities of the day."

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