Fentanyl test strips are now more detectable, thanks to a research study conducted by Interior Health and other health organizations.
The study was to demonstrate the utility of distributing fentanyl test strips for take home use. Researchers compared the detection rates using take home strips with those tested by trained staff. While the test results were similar, the take home test still had a higher percentage in its detection rate. The difference was 90 per cent to 89.1 per cent.
“They’re very good at detecting the presence of fentanyl, even at very low doses.” says Jessica Bridgeman, Manager for Sexual Health and Harm Reduction with Interior Health.
“Where we want to be careful is that chocolate chip cookie analogy, in that sometimes you might get a bite and there’s a little bit of chocolate chips, and sometime you might get a bit and there’s a lot of chocolate chips. So it depends on the sample that you test.”
In a release from the Vancouver Coastal Health, Doctor Mark Lysyshyn said that more than 80 per cent of overdose deaths in B.C. occurred where the person lived.
The release went on to say that 95 per cent of participants in the study would use the take home test strips again, with nearly one in three reporting safer substance use behavior.
Bridgeman says, The test strips are widely available in the Interior Health region, with 72 locations. There are five or six locations in Williams Lake, and one location in 100 Mile House.