UVic test aims to prevent drug overdoses

A UVic chemist and a social worker are embarking on a project to perfect a test for drug users to check for deadly overdose ingredients like fentanyl.

The three-year project led by Dennis Hore, professor of chemistry, and Bruce Wallace, associate professor of social work, will conduct a trial-run of the drug-purity test at harm-reduction sites.

Technicians can use the test to examine a sample as small as a grain of salt to check for fentanyl or the fillers used by drug dealers to bulk up narcotic products. Family members or partners are also expected to use the test.

Optional surveys and interviews will allow UVic researchers, including computer scientists and nursing faculty, to learn what works best and in what setting.

The three-year pilot project is being funded with a $1.7-million grant from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addiction Program.

Deaths from opioid drugs such as heroin, now often spiked with potent opioid synthetics like fentanyl or carfentanyl, have soared in Canada to crisis numbers.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 3,286 people died from overdoses last year between January and September. Island Health says over 100 people died last year in the capital region from overdoses.

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