Tag: drug checking
South Okanagan Drug Alert – Beige Down
Interior Heath has issued a DRUG ALERT for the South Okanagan after an increase in overdose activity associated with a beige substance sold as ‘Down/Fentanyl’. This substance has been found to contain Fentanyl with no cuts/buffs (additives).
Risk
High risk of overdose and death.
Please be aware of safer drug use tips that can help prevent overdose as well as where to access naloxone, drug checking and other overdose prevention services in your community.
No matter what or how you use (smoking, snorting, injecting) take steps to prevent overdose
- Know the risks when mixing drugs
- If you must use while alone, consider using the Lifeguard app which can connect you with 911 emergency responders if you overdose. Download at the App Store or Google Play.
- When using your substance start with a small amount, and then go slow.
- Use with others or at an Overdose Prevention or Supervised Consumption Site, if one is near you.
- Know how to respond to an overdose – call 911, give rescue breaths and naloxone.
New Normal – Drug Checking at Festivals
New Normal
Harm reduction in a post-pandemic festive context
Festivals, gatherings, parties.
After a two year hiatus, we are preparing to gather in thousands under the love of music, friendship, dancing, arts and whatever your jam is. The Interior Health region usually hosts an incredible variety of events and this year is no exception. But what has changed?
Festivals are an experimental ground for a population that converges from all walks of life. Some are seasoned lifers that live and breathe the music and culture, while some may be first timers, curious and eager to have fun on a summer weekend. All will be looking forward to a feeling of connection, new experiences and hedonistic opportunities, long awaited since the start of the pandemic. Many will choose to transform their experience through the use of drugs, from well known alcohol to, new for some, illicit substances.
The pandemic created a situation where there has been significant transformations in the drug supply, witnessed through drugs checked by community drug checking endeavors. These changes have been tragic for all of us, with consequences ranging from drug related health complications to higher death rates than ever.
As well as the drug supply issues, there will also be newcomers to the scene, with perhaps less knowledge about the drugs that they are curious to experiment with. Keen partiers may also feel the urge to partake in substance use more than usual, as the burgeoning excitement of being back together intensifies.
This year, Interior Health is contributing to Drug Checking efforts in festive situations. In partnership with community organizations, there will be FTIR and test strip drug checking services offered at both Bass Coast and Shambhala Music festival, events that gather approximately 5000 and 16000 people respectively. Some smaller events are serviced by their local harm reduction related agencies. Not only do these services enable people who use drugs to make informed choices about their use, they also allow an incredible opportunity to engage in a conversation around drugs, providing education in the scope of harm reduction.
Drug checking services at festivals allow us to monitor what is circulating in the ever changing supply and act upon it. Extra vigilance will be paramount for this summer’s festivals. After a 2 year interruption, the only thing that we can say for sure is that risk and inconsistency are unquestionably the “new normal” within the illicit drug supply.
If you plan to use substances this year, consider using one of the drug checking services spread across the IHA region. Find out where is the closest to you at drugchecking.ca
Link to pdf poster : New Normal – What is in your drugs
“What’s in My Drugs?” – BCCSU video on drug checking
BCCSU – Drug Checking in the DTES in Vancouver
This video produced by the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use depicts the process of using an Overdose Prevention site that offers drug checking.
Filmed at the Molson Overdose Prevention Site (MOPS) in Vancouver, BC, “What’s in My Drugs?” explains what happens when a person goes to a drug checking service.
Drug checking allows people to find out more about what is in their drugs, empowering people who use drugs to make better-informed decisions about their substance use. In this short documentary-style video, different workers on site are interviewed, such as a drug checking technician and expert, providing insight on why drug checking is an important harm reduction strategy for people who use drugs.
In loving memory of Ben Stevenson (1987 – 2022)