Randomized Trial and Analytic Chemistry Innovations to Optimize Drug Alerts

The opioid crisis is now being driven primarily by illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and other contaminants in the drug supply that many people who use drugs are unaware of. This project will develop and pilot laboratory protocols to allow university and public health laboratories to test samples of drugs over time to get an on-the-ground picture of the drug supply. These laboratory methods would also detect substances that aren’t detected by fentanyl test strips. This form of drug checking — common in Canada, the U.K., and other countries — could enable local health departments and other community leaders to disseminate information about changes in the drug supply and issue timely drug alerts.