Street drug harm-reduction testing kits can’t flag all deadly contaminants: doctor
Testing recreational drugs for purity is not sophisticated enough to save lives, says a doctor who specializes in medical services for festival crowds.
“My personal philosophy is this approach is not ready for general use,” said Dr. Sam Gutman of RockDoc Consulting, which ran medical services for the Pemberton Music Festival this year and last.
“If you think there’s MDMA (the active ingredient in ecstasy or molly), for instance, in the tablet, it will tell you whether there is or is not MDMA in the tablet.
“It doesn’t tell you how much ecstasy is in it or whether there’s rat poison with the ecstasy,” said Gutman, who also oversaw medical services at the Squamish Valley Music Festival from 2010 to 2013.
As for deadly drugs now circulating in Metro Vancouver, only a properly equipped laboratory will detect the powerful opiate fentanyl, which has been blamed for four deaths in the last three weeks. A 17-year-old boy from Burnaby and three adults in their early 30s in North Vancouver have died.
The street drug linked to those deaths is a counterfeit form of OxyContin made to look like the prescription pain medication sold as green pills in an 80 mg size. The fakes, however, contain fentanyl — another strong painkiller related to morphine and heroin — often used in slow-release patches for gravely ill patients in hospital.
It’s likely all were unaware the street drug they took contained the strong opiate. Makers of illegal drugs add fentanyl to their concoctions to make them more potent.
Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, medical health officer for the North Shore, says tests on drug users in B.C. reveal that one-third have traces of fentanyl in their urine although most say they have never knowingly used the drug. He says fentanyl appears to be commonly added to heroin and methamphetamine — staples of hardcore drugs users — and to other street drugs where unsuspecting casual users might come across them. Since there is no way of knowing what is in any given tablet or powder sold illegally, Lysyshyn says the only reliable form of harm reduction is to take a small amount and wait before taking more; never do it when you’re alone, and never mix with other drugs and alcohol.
More importantly, drug users need to be aware of the signs of an opiate overdose even if they don’t think they’ve consumed any.
“If someone you’re with starts getting drowsy or sleepy or snoring, that’s not an indication for you to put them to bed, that’s an indication to call 911,” says Lysyshyn.