The Drug Resource and education project
A holistic approach to drug checking
The Drug Resource and Education Project’s mission is to provide tools and education on substance use for people who are impacted by dreadful drug policy and the service providers that support them. More specifically, we want to provide practical guidance on the constantly evolving best practices for performing drug checking in regards to harm reduction, service implementation and messaging in a variety of settings (e.g., festival or community settings).
The Manual
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Chapter 1: Creating Safer Spaces with Harm Reduction in Drug Checking Settings
Creating a safer space; appropriate language; reducing stigma; dismantling oppression; harm reduction tools and supplies; and sexual health.
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Chapter 2: Drug Checking: Implementation of Services
Defining DC; logistical and legal considerations; locations of DC; research and data collection; human resources; and collaborating with other HR Services.
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Chapter 3: Drug Checking: Technologies and Procedures
Choosing technologies, protocols including disclaimers and working with samples. Procedures dive into the flow of testing in a DC service and some testing tips for Fourier-Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and test strip.
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Chapter 4: Messaging Results in Drug Checking
Delivering results; how to explain limitations; sourcing and assessing reliable drug information; and the three S’s (Substance, Set, and Setting).
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Chapter 5: Guide on Substances
Effects and risks; dosages; common mixes; adulterants; and harm reduction tips.
We acknowledge that the lands from which we are working on this project include the traditional territories of many Indigenous nations. The authors recognize that many injustices experienced by the Indigenous peoples of what we now call Canada include colonial, racist and classist drug laws and policies. The authors see the need to not only support people who use drugs individually but to actively work to disrupt or dismantle unjust systems that continue to negatively and disproportionately impact Indigenous communities.
The authors work from the traditional, occupied and unceded territories of; the Sinixt and Ktunaxa; the Lkwungen (Songhees), Wyomilth (Esquimalt), and WSANEC (Saanich) peoples of the Coast Salish Nation; and the Nanrantsouak territory of the Abenaki people and the Wabenaki Confederacy.