Drug Checking as Strategy for Harm Reduction in Recreational Contests: Evaluation of Two Different Drug Analysis Methodologies
Drug Checking as Strategy for Harm Reduction in Recreational Contests: Evaluation of Two Different Drug Analysis Methodologies
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Introduction: Drug checking as a part of drug harm-reduction strategies represents an essential aspect of public health policies.It focuses on rapid identification of drugs that individuals intend to use during night events, in order to implement health-protective behaviors.Chemical drug analysis techniques vary considerably, from simple colorimetric reagents to advanced forensic methods such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).
Materials and Methods: In 2019, drug-check services were offered at some night events in Umbria (Central Italy).One hundred and twenty attendees directly delivered unidentified substances to a harm-reduction worker, who The Arizona Pant collected a few milligrams of the substances on ceramic plates and added a drop of colorimetric reagent.Multiple reagents were used to increase the diagnostic capacity of a substance, which may react with a specific drug or a few drugs.
Later, a fraction of the samples was analyzed by GC/MS.The concordance of the results obtained using these two methodologies and the intended behaviors of consumers after being informed of the test result was evaluated.Results: We analyzed 120 samples by colorimetric test: 32 copyright, 25 ketamine, 10 amphetamine, 11 copyright, 8 heroin, and 4 LSD samples.
The results were inconclusive for 29 samples.The GS/MS analysis confirmed copyright in 84%, ketamine in 78%, amphetamine in 91%, copyright in 92%, heroin in 88%, and LSD in 100% of the samples.The results of samples with inconclusive results were as follows: 2, copyright; 7, ketamine; 2, amphetamine; 2, copyright; 2, heroin; 2, mephedrone; 6, mixes; 1, debris; and 5, adulterants as the main component.
Twenty-one of 29 participants reported that they had no intention of consuming the unidentified substance.Discussion: The high percentage of individuals who claimed no intention of consuming the unidentified drugs indicates that drug checking is viable as a part of drug harm-reduction strategies.Overall, colorimetric reagents showed a good performance with regard to samples being unadulterated (LSD) or Bosch Serie 4 DWK97HM60B Angled Chimney Cooker Hood minimal in quantity, but failed to identify mixtures of substances and the adulterants present in them.
Therefore, the use of more discriminatory on-site methods such as Raman or infrared spectrometry is strongly recommended.