A Vancouver pilot program shows that taking fentanyl tests to take home can encourage some people to use less and use them in a safer environment.
The results were published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy, but the program itself went back to the spring of 2019.
A collaboration between Vancouver’s coastal, inland and First Nations health authorities, the BC Center on Substance Use (BCCSU) and the BC Center for Disease Control (BCCDC), the program distributed 1,680 home tests to 218 participants. of 10 drug control services. to Vancouver Metro.
Participants were given clear instructions on how to use the tests and were asked to report any behavioral changes if they found fentanyl in their drugs. In 27% of these cases, researchers say participants made at least one safer choice. These included taking less medicine, not using it at all, choosing to take it with another person present or in a safe place of consumption, or asking someone to control them.
“These findings show that in the absence of a regulated supply of drugs, strategies that provide people with information about the substances they consume are critical to keeping them safe,” said Drs. Sukhpreet Klaire said in a press release.
BC Coroners Service’s findings show that the vast majority of deadly drug overdoses occur in a place of residence, whether it’s someone’s home, shelter, or social housing, or a hotel. In the first three months of 2022, 548 people died from overdoses of toxic drugs, 80.5% of which occurred in a residence.
According to researchers, home-made fentanyl tests are looking to target this trend. They also hope to expand the security of supervised consumption sites, where no deaths have occurred in BC so far, according to the BC Forensic Service.
To test the effectiveness of home testing, the researchers compared their fentanyl positivity rates with those of samples tested at drug control sites over the same period. They found that test rates aligned almost exactly, at 89.1 percent for those taken home and 90 percent for those in situ.
However, the researchers noticed two drawbacks of home testing: they did not test the stimulants accurately and were only able to prove the existence of fentanyl and not the amount.
However, researchers considered the program a success. Of those who participated, 96% said the test instructions were easy to follow and 95% said they would use them again.
Since the pilot was first conducted, Vancouver Coastal Health has expanded the number of home testing sites from 10 to 20, and Interior Health has introduced 60 of its own.
Researchers say more work needs to be done to determine how and if the use of evidence really reduces the number of overdoses, but that at the very least they provide people who use drugs with life-saving information and greater agency.
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