ArticleDrug and alcohol review2023
Examining fentanyl and its analogues in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia, Canada using drug checking technologies.
Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026Review
- Fentanyl, Amphetamine-type Stimulants, Heroin, and xylazine in drug residues in two Northern border Mexican cities.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- A sea of need: provider accounts of strategies used to manage admission demands to safer opioid supply programs in Ontario.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Impact of having a regular drug dealer on obtaining drug checking results consistent with expectations during a drug toxicity crisis in a Canadian setting.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
- Detection of benzodiazepines in the unregulated drug supply using point of care and confirmatory drug checking technologies: A validation study.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
- Novel adulterants in unregulated opioids and their associations with adverse events.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2025Article
- From Spectra to Signatures: Detecting Fentanyl in Human Nails with ATR-FTIR and Machine Learning.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- "They talk about it like it's an overdose crisis when in fact it's basically genocide": The experiences of Indigenous peoples who use illicit drugs in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Article
- Prevalence of fentanyl in methamphetamine and cocaine samples collected by community-based drug checking services.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
- A qualitative assessment of key considerations for drug checking service implementation.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Point-of-care community drug checking technologies: an insider look at the scientific principles and practical considerations.Harm reduction journal · 2023Review
- Development, Evaluation, and Initial Findings of New York State Department of Health Community Drug Checking Pilot Programs.Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMPArticle
- Fentanyl Test Strips for Harm Reduction: A Scoping Review.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe emergence of fentanyl and its analogues have contributed to a drastic rise in overdose-related mortality in recent years. The objective of this study was to determine the number of drug checking samples containing fentanyl and fentanyl analogues using both point of care and confirmatory drug checking technologies.
methodsPoint-of-care drug checking data, using a combination of fentanyl immunoassay strips and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were collected at harm reduction sites in Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia. Based on current recommendations from the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use Drug Checking Project, a subset of these samples was sent for confirmatory analysis using quantitative nuclear resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and/or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
resultsA total of 22,916 samples were tested using FTIR and fentanyl immunoassay strips, of which 6125 (29%) were positive for fentanyl and/or fentanyl analogues. FTIR identified a fentanyl analogue in five samples (all carfentanil). Of the 1467 samples sent for confirmatory analysis, fentanyl was identified in 855 (58%) and fentanyl analogues in 85 (6%), including: carfentanil (n = 56), acetyl fentanyl (n = 15), furanyl fentanyl (n = 9) and cyclopropyl fentanyl (n = 5). DISCUSSION AND
conclusionOur research found that FTIR does not consistently distinguish between fentanyl and its analogues at point of care and that highly sensitive confirmatory drug checking technologies are needed to identify fentanyl analogues. These findings underscore the limitations of current drug checking technologies and the importance of using both point of care and confirmatory drug checking initiatives for monitoring changes in the drug supply.
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