On‐site drug checking can provide quantitative analysis

Challenges, policy and politics in drug checking: reflections of the TEDItorial team

“…Secondly, DCS are sometimes criticised for not providing reliable results and for not being able to determine the concentration, strength or purity of individual substances of concern. The article by Vrolijk et al (2022) shows on the contrary that, with the appropriate equipment and chemistry staff, DCS can provide quantitative analysis and they often offer a number of different technologies to facilitate triangulation to increase the reliability of the results (see also Barratt et al , 2020). However, what this article also highlights is the value of standardisation in analytical procedures and technologies between services, where resources allow.…”

“…Fifthly, the added value of drug checking compared to forensic analysis of seizures by law enforcement agencies has been called into question. Barratt et al (2020) and Measham (2019) have suggested that drug checking can monitor drug markets more rapidly (if analyses are performed on site, for event-based DCS) and that it provides real-time, localised information, which is often not promptly available from law enforcement seizures, alongside additional information on the nature of the gap between purchase intent and the content of substances of concern (see also Maghsoudi et al , 2021). To this, we could add that, in places such as Belgium, which is also and above all a production and transit country for drugs (EMCDDA, 2022), DCS provide information on what users actually consume, whereas police seizures provide information on the drugs that are produced in and/or that transit through Belgium.…”

'It’s not going to be a one size fits all': a qualitative exploration of the potential utility of three drug checking service models in Scotland

“…DCS are currently being explored in Scotland due to their potential utility and role in reducing DRDs [18]. These harm reduction services allow members of the public to anonymously submit (presumed) psychoactive drug samples for forensic analysis, with some services providing individualised feedback of results and counselling [19]. To be considered a drug checking service, drug samples must be collected directly from individuals and results and advice must be communicated directly to them, with the explicit aim of reducing harm [20,21].…”

“…Whilst the first DCS were introduced in the USA in the 1960s, they have been in operation in European countries since the 1990s, originally in response to the increasing concerns around growing use of synthetic drugs as part of a burgeoning rave and night life culture [22][23][24]. The substantial increase in the number of DCS globally, has partly been driven by the growth in number and type of Novel Psychoactive Substances and the increased globalisation of unregulated drug markets [19,25,26]. Drug checking is increasingly recognised as an important tool for both reducing risk of harm to people who use drugs by providing information about the contents of a drug, and through drug market monitoring for public health purposes [26].…”

“…Despite many DCS sharing some key features outlined above, they differ widely in relation to how and where they operate [19]. A key distinction is between those which operate on a transitory basis at festivals and nightlife settings (known primarily as event-based drug checking) and those which operate on a permanent basis with individuals submitting samples directly for testing (known as community-based drug checking) [20,24,[27][28][29].…”