A nonprofit organization is targeting bars and other popular nightlife destinations as places to offer fentanyl test strips. These strips help people who use drugs avoid overdoses due to contamination from the potentially fatal substance.
FentCheck, an organization focused on harm reduction, provides the tests to various venues to prevent overdose deaths.
The organization told the Washington Examiner that easy access to drug testing is already affecting the community. “It’s now extremely common for anyone who engages in nightlife to carry NARCAN and utilize fentanyl testing strips, and that means less accidental deaths,” co-founders Alison Heller and Dean Shold said.
According to its website, FentCheck believes “that providing access to fentanyl test strips will help people who use drugs survive the night.” They further take a “sincere and non-judgmental” approach to raising awareness among drug users.
Fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death among those aged 18-45, according to federal data. The fatal drug has surpassed several other causes, including suicide, car crashes, and COVID-19.
Partnering with local artists, activists, and community leaders, they hope to remove the stigma from drug testing.
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Heller and Shold say that both venues and patrons are incredibly thankful for the tests, even sharing that the venues have heard “stories of patrons who alter their plans and made decisions with informed consent around drug usage if they encountered a positive test.”
A venue called The North Warehouse told the Washington Examiner that it is happy to work with FentCheck, as it puts a huge emphasis on harm reduction.
“We’re taking a more proactive approach to say that we know what goes on. We’re not advocating, condoning it,” Owner Scott McElroy said.
Operations Director Molly Jaben added that it’s “not just the party scene” that is affected by the crisis. According to her, they decided to get involved with FentCheck to normalize talking about the fentanyl crisis and “testing your substances, if you choose to use.”
They believe in harm prevention in every area, they said. They also hand out ear plugs during concerts and employ other de-escalation methods for various problems that patrons may experience.
“The biggest thing I’ve heard from people is ‘thank you for finally doing this,'” said Jaben. She further praised FentCheck for its “amazing work.”
“We’re supporting FentCheck financially with ticket profits, a percentage from our shows, and we are waiting to actually become a distribution site,” she explained. “Unfortunately, there are some barriers for us before we’re able to do that safely.”
“So proud to be supporting @FentCheck this weekend! We love what they’re doing & we’ll be donating 10% of both shows ticket profits. Visit https://fentcheck.org to find their closest sites & educate yourself. Harm reduction is important as ever. Happy to fight the good fight,” the venue tweeted last week.
https://twitter.com/North_Warehouse/status/1514737305722195972
“We are so excited to be partnering with @FentCheck to provide free fentanyl test strips to our local community! You can find them right by the register,” Spectator Books Oakland wrote last year.
https://twitter.com/spectator_books/status/1452061957251481606According to FentCheck’s founders, many people have reported positive tests. “We have on many occasions been asked to re-test a substance that showed up as ‘positive’ for fentanyl,” they said. “We make it a priority to allow individuals to obtain these test strips anonymously and don’t ask to hear the results — yet many of them offer the results up to us, especially if positive.”
FentCheck uses tests from Canadian company BTNX, according to a report, and they provide instructions for use. The tests function similarly to pregnancy or COVID-19 tests, displaying a line corresponding with a positive or negative result.
According to a report, volunteers regularly replenish the test strips at several businesses in Oakland and San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia.
The co-founders said they were motivated to address this crisis by looking to similar crises of the past. “We looked at the movement in the 1980s to stem the spread of HIV through condoms placed in fishbowls in bars. By bringing current-day harm reduction to the people who could benefit from it, we literally are ‘meeting them where they’re at,'” they explained.
Some of their goals down the line include removing the possible distinction of drug tests for fentanyl as “drug paraphernalia,” specifically targeting those between the ages of 14-18 who are vulnerable, and broader education and accessible supplies.
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“We’re done with dead kids,” said Heller, reports Reuters. “We’re done with accidental overdoses. We are also serving people who are struggling with drug addiction.”
“They cannot make it to rehab, they cannot make it to the next step in their sobriety if they die that night.”
