READ THIS FIRST –> This page contains all the instructions you need. Please read everything on this page twice before using the strips. It is important you understand what fentanyl is, why it is so dangerous, and the limitations of the strips. (Download a PDF of these instructions.)

REMEMBER! Using fentanyl testing strips does not guarantee your safety. No drug use is 100% safe!

WHAT IS FENTANYL?

Fentanyl and its analogs are highly potent synthetic opioids that are many times stronger than heroin. In North America alone, hundreds of thousands of people have died from unknowingly ingesting fentanyl- contaminated drugs. Accidental fentanyl overdose was the number one cause of death in people ages 18-45 in 2020.

The term “fentanyl” refers to fentanyl itself, as well as numerous analogs such as acetyl-fentanyl, furanyl-fentanyl, carfentanil, and others. Some analogs, such as carfentanil, are so strong that a fatal dose may be invisible to the naked eye.

Fatal doses: Fentanyl and its analogs are so powerful a fatal dose may be invisible to the naked eye.

ABOUT OUR TESTING STRIPS

If used correctly, DanceSafe’s fentanyl testing strips can detect fentanyl and most of its known analogs, including carfentanil, acetylfentanyl, 3-methylfentanyl,butyryl-fentanyl, acrylfentanyl, furanylfentanyl and many others. They cannot, however, detect all of them. A negative result does not guarantee your drug sample is free from all synthetic opiods.

WARNING! Fentanyl test strips from other sources may not work the same, and some may not work at all. We conducted an independent study in conjunction with the University of California assessing a variety of strips sold on the market. Out of five different strips we tested, four could not detect carfentanil, and one set of strips from a Chinese manufacturer did not work at all! For media and other inquires about our fentanyl testing strips, including the study, please contact Emanuel Sferios.

THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EFFECT

When fentanyl (or a fentanyl analog) is mixed with heroin, cocaine or other drugs, it is NEVER mixed evenly. Powder from one side of a baggie (or on the edge of a pressed tablet) may contain no fentanyl at all, yet powder from the other side may contain a fatal dose. This is called the “chocolate chip cookie effect” and is why it is best to test every bit of the drug you intend to consume!

BEST METHOD – TEST EVERYTHING YOU INTEND TO CONSUME Testing everything requires dissolving your entire dose in water. For drugs consumed orally, you can simply drink the water after testing. The strips do not contaminate the water. For drugs like cocaine or meth that people like to insufflate (snort), you can get the powder back by evaporating the water. (See below.)

BACKUP METHOD – TEST A PORTION OF YOUR DRUGS The best method is to test every bit of the drug you intend to consume, but if you can’t, at least test a good cross section. We recommend a minimum of 10mg. First crush any crystals, shards or rocks into a fine powder. Then, mix it up as thoroughly as possible by stirring or shaking the baggie. This helps distribute any fentanyl that might be clumped up inside, increasing the likelihood some will be in your sample.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 PREPARING AND DILUTING YOUR DRUGS

Whether you are testing everything you intend to consume or a smaller portion of your drugs, you need to dilute the powder in the correct amount of water. Follow the instructions below for each type of drug.

FOR CRYSTALS OR POWDERED DRUGS

1 Weigh your drugs.

Use a milligram scale to get the weight of the crystals or powder you are going to test. Write it down so you don’t forget. If you don’t have a milligram scale, you can use one of our 10mg micro scoops.

2 Place your drugs into a small container.

If you are testing 50mg or less, a standard bottle cap from any 20oz soda bottle works great. If you are testing more than 50mg, use a small glass or ceramic cup.

3 Add the right amount of water.

This step is very important.

FOR METH AND MDMA	FOR ALL OTHER DRUGS
Add one teaspoon of water (5ml) for every 10mg of powder.	Add one teaspoon of water (5ml) for every 50mg of powder.

Methamphetamine and MDMA need to be diluted more than other drugs because they can produce false positives if they are too concentrated. While the ideal dilution for most drugs is 10mg/ml (50mg for every 5ml or 1tsp of water), meth and MDMA need to be diluted down to 2mg/ml (10mg for every 5ml or 1tsp of water).

Use proper measuring spoons, like those for baking.

• 1 US teaspoon is almost exactly 5ml
• 1 US tablespoon is three teaspoons (15ml)
• 1 US cup is 48 teaspoons (240ml)

If you don’t have proper measuring spoons, a standard plastic bottle cap is a bit larger than a teaspoon.

4 Stir the mixture until completely dissolved. PROCEED TO STEP 2.

FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PILLS

1 Crush the entire tablet into a fine powder.

2 Pour the powder into a small cup.

3 Add approximately 12-15ml of water (a tablespoon or quarter cup).

4 Stir the mixture. Binder may not completely dissolve. That’s ok. PROCEED TO STEP 2.

FOR Blotter LSD

1 Cut a small corner off the blotter.

2 Soak it in a teaspoon of water for 10 minutes. PROCEED TO STEP 2.

FOR IV DRUG USERS

If you inject heroin or other drugs, you should test every time you inject. The easiest method is to test the residue from your spoon or cooker.

1 After preparing your shot, set the needle aside and wait to inject.

2 Add about 1ml (1/5th of a teaspoon, or 1cc) of clean water into the spoon or cooker. PROCEED TO STEP 2.

STEP 2 USING THE STRIPS

After you have diluted your drug using our instructions above, it’s time to use the strips.

1 Hold the blue end of the test strip and insert the other end into the liquid.

2 Allow the liquid to travel up the strip into the test area (15 seconds).

3 Remove the strip and set it down on a flat surface. Wait about three minutes. PROCEED TO STEP 3

STEP 3 INTERPRETING THE RESULTS

One red line on top is a POSITIVE result for the presence of fentanyl.

Two red lines is a NEGATIVE result. The lower red line may be significantly lighter than the upper red line. If you can see it at all, no matter how faint, it is still a negative result.

No red lines (or one red line on the bottom) means the test is invalid. Usually this happens because the liquid did not travel far enough up the test strip.

GETTING YOUR POWDER BACK

Fentanyl strip testing does NOT destroy your drugs. If you dilute cocaine, ketamine, or other crystal or powdered drugs, you can get your powder back by evaporating away the water. You can do this by pouring the water into a flat-bottomed glass or ceramic dish (like a Pyrex pie dish) and heating it. The most popular method is using an oven.

1 Put the pan in the oven on the lowest heat setting, no higher than 225 degrees F.

2 Keep the oven door cracked and keep a close eye on the pan. This process can take minutes to hours depending on how much water you’re evaporating.

3 When all the water has evaporated, a film/residue will appear on the bottom of the pan. Take the pan out and let it cool.

4 Scrape up the residue using a straight razor or other sharp tool.

Don’t leave your drugs in the oven for too long after they’re dry. They won’t burn right away, but they will eventually.

ECSTASY PILLS AND FALSE POSITIVES

Because of the risk of false positives, it is impossible to test pressed ecstasy tablets accurately unless you know the number of milligrams of MDMA each pill contains. Most dealers don’t actually know how much MDMA is in the pills they’re selling, even if they believe they do.

UNDERSTANDING AND PREVENTING OVERDOSES

Except for suicides, overdose deaths are always accidental. The word “overdose” has sometimes carried a moral judgment that the individual was “pushing their limits” in order to get as high as possible, as if it were their own fault. This is not true. “Overdose” simply means taking too much of a drug, and it is always accidental. Even daily opioid users who know that fentanyl is in their product have no way of knowing the amount. Instead of blaming others, let’s work together to end accidental overdoses.

QUICK REFERENCE CHART

This visual guide is for testing only a portion of your drugs. This method should only be used if you cannot dilute and test everything.