ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2022
Behavior change after fentanyl testing at a safe consumption space for women in Northern Mexico: A pilot study.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Drug sellers' use of a drug checking service amid the overdose crisis in British Columbia, Canada.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- Drug Checking Services in Latin America vs. the United States: Staff Perspectives, Program Characteristics, and Barriers to Implementation.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- "I wasn't scared of the dope I had anymore because I could test it myself:" A qualitative study among rural Appalachians who use drugs about experiences with a fentanyl test strip intervention.Research square · 2026Article
- Association of fentanyl test strip results and change in drug use behaviors: A multi-state, community-based observational study.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Observational
- The emergence of fentanyl in a stimulant landscape: Un/intentional use, social relations, and developing communities of care.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Article
- Fentanyl Test Strip Use and Overdose Risk Reduction Behaviors Among People Who Use Drugs.JAMA network open · 2025Observational
- Overdose prevention centres as spaces of safety, trust and inclusion: A causal pathway based on a realist review.Drug and alcohol review · 2024Review
- Overdose and COVID-19 in Baja California, Mexico: The Need for New Methodologies for Understanding Local Trends.American journal of public health · 2024Article
- Drug checking in the fentanyl era: Utilization and interest among people who inject drugs in San Diego, California.The International journal on drug policy · 2023Article
- Intersections between syndemic conditions and stages along the continuum of overdose risk among women who inject drugs in Mexicali, Mexico.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- US drug overdose mortality rose faster among hispanics than non-hispanics from 2010 to 2021.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
- Differences in drug use behaviors that impact overdose risk among individuals who do and do not use fentanyl test strips for drug checking.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Correlates of recent overdose among people who inject drugs in the San Diego/Tijuana border region.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2022Article
- Fentanyl Test Strips for Harm Reduction: A Scoping Review.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFentanyl has led to an increased number of overdose deaths in North America. Testing substances for fentanyl may be a harm reduction strategy to prevent overdose. Little is known about behavior change after fentanyl testing and the attitudes around fentanyl knowledge and testing along the US-Mexico border in the context of a safe consumption site.
methodsThis was a pilot quantitative and qualitative study with 30 women who use drugs at an unsanctioned safe consumption site in Mexicali, Mexico. Women participated in a quantitative survey, a semi-structured interview, and fentanyl testing of substances. Injection behavior was observed after fentanyl testing results were provided. Qualitative data were collected to explore the meanings participants attributed to fentanyl and fentanyl testing.
resultsHalf of the substances tested positive for fentanyl (n=15, 50%), and all of them were in samples of black tar heroin. Among those participants who tested positive for fentanyl, 7 (47%) subsequently used less of the intended substance, 1 did not use the intended substance, and 7 (47%) did not change their behavior (i.e., used as originally intended). In qualitative interviews, a predominant theme was a description of fentanyl as dangerous and deadly and fentanyl testing as being helpful for modifying drug use behaviors. However, participants recognized that there could be no change in behavior following a positive fentanyl test in the context of not being able to find substances free of fentanyl.
conclusionWe observed mixed results related to behavior change after women's intended substance for use tested positive for fentanyl. Fentanyl testing was acceptable to women, but behavior change was hampered by the inability to find substances free of fentanyl. Further research is needed to maximize the potential of fentanyl testing as a harm reduction tool especially in the context of a changing drug supply.
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