Abstract co-authored and co-presented by Lea Gozdzialski and Clare Schmidt

Drug checking is emerging as a valuable intervention in the face of an unpredictable drug supply. Concurrently, barriers and limitations to implementing drug checking are also emerging. Advanced point-of-care drug checking is a complex intervention and best practices are still being developed. Furthermore, this intervention utilizes analytical instruments that require extensive training to accurately operate and interpret, which limits knowledge expansion within the harm reduction workforce. These barriers significantly limit the expansion and accessibility of drug checking.
This workshop shares two resources to lower these barriers to implementation: 1) The Drug Checking Implementation Toolkit from Remedy Alliance (available in Spanish and English) provides a step-by-step guide to designing a drug checking program, prioritizing PWUD and centering their expertise. 2) The Let’s Empower All People (“LEAP”) software was developed specifically for drug checking by the Substance Program at the University of Victoria and uses machine learning models to reduce the training burden on new programs. This workshop is a hands-on introduction to both tools and demonstrates that drug checking technology and knowledge can be accessible to anyone. This is a rare interactive opportunity to explore drug checking instrumentation and software with real equipment prior to pursuing implementation and purchasing an instrument.

-Understand the key components, limitations, and capabilities of an FTIR-based drug checking program
-Develop a realistic timeline for implementation of a drug checking program
-Articulate complexities of opioid-facing drug checking
-Visualize the drug checking workflow
-Basic navigation of LEAP, including an introduction to spectral libraries, data-sharing networks, and machine learning
-Use LEAP to perform a guided analysis of a simple drug mixture

-Increase awareness of new drug checking resources and software
-Improve trust and transparency by demystifying drug checking
-Liberate knowledge and technology; shift drug checking skills and knowledge from exclusive academic and surveillance systems towards PWUD