Program Requirements

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Our team operates according to the principles of harm reduction and acknowledge the reality that drugs are not going anywhere anytime soon. Rather than continue to use imprisonment, harassment, ineffective treatment modalities, etc..., we work to mitigate the harms that are tied to drug use itself. We aim to do this while simultaneously working on positive change that create undue harm (often blamed on drug use itself). In line with our harm reduction philosophy and ethics, we ask that potential partner programs and agencies commit to abiding by the five requirements listed below. 

 We can only test samples collected via organizations.

Eligible Organizations

• Harm reduction programs
• FTIR-based drug checking for confirmatory/complementary
• Drug user unions
• Health departments (state and local)
• Clinics
• Hospitals
• EMS
• PORT teams
• Universities and research studies

Requirements

1. Samples must be provided voluntarily. We are not legally permitted to test drug samples for bags found by parents, confiscated from hospital patients, seized by police, etc. We only test drug samples. We do not test urine or other biological samples. 
2. There must be a credible and timely way to return results to sample donors. As  we wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology: “First and foremost, the program’s primary purpose should be to deliver results in a timely manner to people who use drugs to empower behavior change.” In the kit, we include a QR code card that can be given to the sample donor to help satisfy this requirement. We have found that more active engagement with people who use drugs can be of mutual benefit. 
3. We do not provide services to anyone working with law enforcement. Our results are not admissible in court because they are anonymous and lack chain of custody pedigree. 
4. Sample collection must be done by someone on your staff. We send batches of five kits with one return mailer. Everything is prepaid and included in the price per sample#LINK. You can request as many kits as you can use. The shelf life is 2-3 months.
   1. We ask that trained program staff be the ones to collect the sample and put it in the vial. In our experience, giving kits to participants and asking them to bring them back or mail them directly is not successful.
   2. Only a tiny sample (less than a grain of rice) is needed, and we can also accommodate used cottons or swabs of empty bags. We do not test urine or hair or other biological samples. 
5. Sample results cannot be used to deny treatment or penalize patients. Knowing what is in the local drug supply can allow clinicians to better help patients. However, we are also wary how some clinics will use the information. Therefore, our staff will reach out to you to understand your clinic’s needs. We can share experiences on how drug checking has helped other programs. We are hoping clinics will bring new creativity on how to apply knowledge of the street drug supply, and include patients in decision making. 

Some Considerations

• Shipments to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico may take weeks in transit in both directions due to being legally required to use FedEx Ground. We haven’t worked with many programs in these places, so we would be happy to work with together to figure out options.
• Do not use other shipping services. Your samples will not get to us. Trust us, we’ve tried all the other options, and FedEx Ground is the only one that is reliable.
• We only accept drug samples dissolved in the vial in our kits. Don’t send us bags of dope. Seriously, don’t.