#TestIt Alert: Baggie of blue powder sold in New Bedford, MA as oxycodone/Percocet, but actually contains carfentanil and diphenhydramine

By: Rachel Clark, DanceSafe Contractor A baggie of blue powder was sold in New Bedford, MA as oxycodone/Percocet, but actually contains carfentanil and diphenhydramine. The sample was submitted from Boston, MA.  The sample turned yellow in the presence of the Marquis reagent, yellow in the presence of the Mecke reagent, and did not react in the presence of the Mandelin reagent.  Carfentanil is one of the most powerful known opioids, with a potency of approximately 100 times that of fentanyl and 10,000 times that of morphine. A lethal dose is thought to be approximately 0.02mg (about the size of a grain of...

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Myth: You Can’t Test for Fentanyl in Street Drugs

Yes, you can and should test your drugs for fentanyl! With the rise of fentanyl-cut drugs on the black market, testing your substances is more important than ever. Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid knowingly fatal at low quantities, is being used recklessly as an adulterant in heroin, and now more recently in cocaine, across the United States and Canada. Understandably, some people may be under the impression that there is no way to test for fentanyl as it is not detectable with current drug checking reagents, the most common form of drug checking available to the public. And up until pretty...

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Fentanyl Testing Strips Have Limitations But Are Better Than Nothing

Last week, DanceSafe began offering fentanyl testing strips for purchase on its website in response to the ever-growing number of deaths related to fentanyl, carfentanil, and other opioid analogues. While the testing strips can identify most fentanyl-related analogues, there are still limitations that every consumer and harm reductionist should be aware of, as discussed in this article by Canada’s CBC. While there is a concern that the strips could give consumers a false sense of security due to the potential of false negatives, there currently is no better alternative for people who are worried about adulterated drugs. DanceSafe’s original...

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DanceSafe Now Offering Fentanyl Testing Strips

July 18, 2017 - Fentanyl is a short-acting synthetic opiate that is now being used as an adulterant in substances such as heroin, cocaine, and MDMA. Due to its high potency, it has caused numerous deaths on unsuspecting victims. In response to the rising death toll caused by fentanyl-laced drugs, DanceSafe and the University of California San Francisco have conducted a study assessing five different immunoassay fentanyl test strips for their effectiveness at detecting fentanyl and its various analogs at concentrations typically found in street drugs. Although none of the five strips detected all of the fentanyl-related analogs, and one...

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