DRUG CHECKING
We provide legal, free, confidential drug-checking for people who use drugs. We believe in bodily autonomy – people who use drugs have a right to use drugs, and to know what is in their drugs.
HaRT operates drug-checking services that can tell you the ingredients and approximate concentrations of your drug. Our technology allows us to find the ingredients in your sample, rather than only being able to look for certain ingredients. We can check your pills, powders, crystals, liquids, or tabs! We just need a sample about the size of a grain of rice – and we give it back to you.
We hold legal exemptions to operate. Drug-checking is a legal, public health service. We only work directly with people who drugs or their allies. We do not provide services for prosecution or disciplinary services.
We are grateful for people who use drugs that have paved the way for drug-checking services. They created and offered drug-checking services decades before us. Our team members who use drugs continue to inform our services.
Hosting an event? We would love to provide drug-checking at your event! Send us an e-mail letting us know the date and approximate number of people, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Locations and Hours
KELOWNA
Tuesday – Friday
2 – 5pm at Living Positive Resource Centre (255 Lawrence Ave)
Wednesdays
5 – 7pm at Outreach Urban Health (1649 Pandosy St.)
+ Watch for us at local festivals!
UBC Okanagan Campus
Come see us on Thursday evenings between 6-8 pm in UNC 337. We also host outreach to Nechako (Residence Wellness Hub) during this time. Get trained in how to use naloxone, pick up safe supplies and more.
CAN’T MAKE IT DURING OUR DRUG-CHECKING HOURS? NO PROBLEM! YOU CAN DROP YOUR SAMPLE OFF WITH ONE OF OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS. FOR DROP-OFF SAMPLES, RESULTS CAN TAKE 1 – 7 DAYS, AND WE ARE UNABLE TO RETURN YOUR SAMPLE TO YOU.
Outreach Urban Health
(1649 Pandosy St.), Saturday – Sunday, 11am – 10pm
Living Positive Resource Centre
(255 Lawrence Ave.), Monday – Friday 2 – 5pm
What Happens At Drug Checking
What happens at drug-checking stays at drug checking. We also want to make the process as comfortable as possible. So, we provide snacks and other swag, and try to find cool artwork and lamps!
When you arrive, we will show you into our drug-checking office. We will ask you what your drug is and if you have tried it before. If you have, we will ask if you had any strange reactions. This information helps us do our job better – like a sommelier, we want to know what you are expecting and how to help you achieve that outcome. So, if we find ingredients you are not expecting, we can tell you how it might change your experience.
We will place your sample on our FTIR machine, and we will analyze it using our software. We also use fentanyl and benzodiazepine test strips. Then, we give you your results! This whole process takes 5 – 10 minutes.
Other Drug-Checking Resources
Click on Links to View More Services
REDUCE HARM
DRUG CHECKING
SUPPORT RECOVERY
LOCATIONS/HOURS