Drug checking is when someone uses technology to check the composition of someone’s drugs. That means they’re checking what’s in the drugs, not how strong the drugs are. This can be helpful for people who get their drugs on the unregulated market. Drug testing helps to prevent overdose from toxic or tainted supply! It can also help people who use drugs stay informed about the drugs they’re using.
How does drug checking work?
There are a few different ways that people can check drugs:
- Test strips test for a specific substance, like fentanyl or bezodiazepines. Test strips work by reacting to water with a sample of the drug dissolved in it. These are easy to use, but they only check for one drug at a time.
- Colorimetry is when someone combines a small sample of a drug with different chemicals that react to different substances in the drug by changing colour.
- FT-IR, or Fourier Transform Infrared, is a portable machine that checks drugs by testing how they react to light.
If someone wants to check their drugs, they can take them to a drug checking site. The staff there will need to take a small sample of the drug for testing. Exactly how big of a sample, and whether or not they can return it after testing, depends on the kind of test they do! You can let drug testers know before they test if you want all your substance back or not.
Will I get in trouble if I bring drugs to check?
No. Drug checking is legal, and it’s done anonymously. That means the people doing the drug checks don’t record the names or personal information of anyone who brings drugs. It’s legal because drug testing sites have special licenses from the Canadian government that allow them to handle otherwise illegal drugs on-site only.
Most people who work at drug testing sites have experience with substances. And, they have specialized training to use the equipment they use, administer Narcan, and more!
Can they test ANY drugs? And what happens if they find something unexpected?
Drug checking sites can test almost any substance, but some are easier to test than others. For example, testing a liquid, like someone’s beer, for a substance like GHB can be difficult if the drug is too diluted in the liquid. If there’s any issue testing drugs someone has brought, the team at the drug checking site will let them know!
Most drug checking sites do not confiscate drugs if they find something unexpected in them. They’ll return them to the person who brought them in, and explain the results they found to that person. It’s up to the person who brought in the drugs to decide what to do with them after that. Drug checking sites can safely and legally dispose of “tainted” drugs when asked, though!
Where can I go for drug checking in Montreal?
Montreal has several drug-checking sites, both stationary and mobile! If you have drugs that you want to get tested, you can call any of the following to find out their hours and availability:
- Cactus Montreal Checkpoint
- 1300 Sanguinet St
- (514)847-0067 (ext. 125)
- Dopamine
- 4205 Ontario Est
- (514) 251-8872
- PACT de Rue SubCheck
- 8105 Av. de Gaspé
- (514) 278-9181
- Spectre de Rue
- 1278 rue Ontario Est
- (438) 372-7596
You can also find these mobile testing sites roaming throughout the city! To find out where they’re at, you can click on their websites to see their schedule or text/call the numbers below.
- GRIP mobile drug checking van: (438) 887-8338
- L’Anonyme mobile drug checking van: 1-844-381-2455
