Pubdate: Mon, 25 Aug 2014
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Page: A5
Copyright: 2014 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Anne-Marie Vettorel
Cited: Toronto's Trip Project: http://www.tripproject.ca/trip/

DRUG-TESTING KITS HAVE LIMITATIONS, BUT CAN HELP PREVENT DEATHS:
ADVOCATES

TORONTO - Drug-testing kits currently available in Canada have
limitations, but they can be part of the solution to prevent
unnecessary deaths at live concerts, says a harm-reduction group.

Two people died this month at Toronto's Veld music festival after
taking what's believed to be party drugs. Toronto's Trip Project says
the testing kits, when combined with other strategies like drug
education, could make drug use safer for people who will not abstain
from risky behaviour.

"People die at music festivals. That's not a thing that we should just
accept," said Lori Kufner, a coordinator with the city-funded
organization.

But drug-test kits remain "under the radar," said Karim Rifaat, the
owner of Test Kit Plus, a Montreal company that sells the kits online.
"A lot of people who like to use drugs recreationally don't even know
that it's possible to test them," he said.

He stressed that the kits are not 100 per cent accurate.

"It's not as good as sending it to a lab," he said, but they allow
people to get an overall idea of the constituents of a capsule,
tablet, or powder drug sample.

Testing a substance, Kufner said, requires mixing a single drop of
chemical reagent with a sample of the party drug on a glass or ceramic
plate, and comparing the colour of the reaction to a chart. It may
reduce harm, she said, but there are still limitations to their efficacy.

Kufner said the Trip Project can't test drugs on site, as it could be
considered trafficking. And the kits aren't necessarily convenient.
The reagents are "somewhat corrosive," said Kufner, and people must
care for them properly to avoid spoilage.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D