Get Safer Use Supplies

For injection:

1. Test residue in a baggie or cooker, or a tiny amount of powder/crushed drug
2. If testing residue, leave it in a baggie or cooker. If testing a crushed drug, put a tiny amount in a small container.
3. Add ¼ inch sterile water to the container, cooker, or baggie and stir to dissolve the powder.
4. Insert wavy end of the strip into the liquid no higher than the blue line and hold there for 15 seconds.
5. Put the strip down on a sterile surface and wait five minutes for result
6. Read the result! Two lines means no fentanyl was detected and one line means fentanyl was detected.

For Snorting or for Pressed Pills:

1. Put a small amount of the powder or chip of the pill in a brand new cooker
2. Add ¼ inch of clean sterile water to the cooker
3. Stir to dissolve the powder
4. Dip the wavy end of the test strip in the solution for 15 seconds
5. Follow steps 5 & 6 above

Note: For testing meth or MDMA only — add 1 full teaspoon of water per 10mg of crystal or powder. This ratio is super important because methamphetamine and MDMA can give false positives if the sample tested is too concentrated (not enough water/dilution)

• • Use less to start. The margin of error is much smaller with fentanyl. Start small so you can find the best dose for you.
  • Go slow. Fentanyl acts fast, & using slowly gives your body time to adjust, time to see how the dose will hit.
  • Carry naloxone & know how to use it. Let friends know you have naloxone/Narcan, and make sure they know how to use it too.
  • Use extra caution if you’re using alone. Using alone means no one is there to respond if you fall out, so double down on other safety strategies, and try to arrange for someone you trust to check in on you.
  • Try snorting or smoking instead of injecting. Switching your “route of administration” can reduce risk of overdose and other harms. Overdose is still possible though, so try to start slow no matter which route you use.
  • Use with a group or partner. If possible, stagger turns and make sure you have naloxone and all know how to use it.

We have the right to know the ingredients of what we put into our bodies, whether what we’re ingesting is food, alcohol, or drugs. Over the years, people who use drugs have developed strategies to keep our people safe.

Fentanyl test strips are one of those strategies — use them to test your bag and make the most informed decision for yourself. Fentanyl test strips were designed to test urine for the presence of fentanyl, and were creatively repurposed by people who use drugs to help survive the drug prohibition.