Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
Responding to increasing rates of illicit drug toxicity mortality in British Columbia, regional health authorities introduced various types and models of drug checking services starting in 2016. Uptake has been gradual yet consistent, but motivators and barriers of service use have not been well-described.
Findings/Key points
Participants highlighted barriers such as not knowing where to access services (21.0 %), or not having services in their area (10.0 %). Among people who did not report recent use of fentanyl, 49.6 % stated they would not use their drugs if they tested positive for fentanyl. Other harm reduction behaviors were positively associated with drug checking, such as use of overdose prevention sites (adjusted odds ratio and having a naloxone kit. Receipt of opioid agonist therapy in the previous six months was also positively associated with drug checking.
Design/methods
Data from the British Columbia Harm Reduction Client Survey (n=537)
