Drug Checking Technologies

We utilize a combination of drug checking technologies at no cost to you! In order to balance the need for immediate results with the need for precise, in-depth results, we use a combination of technologies and walk you through the benefits and limitations of each.

Seven drug test strips laid out on a gray surface, each with different colored indicator areas and labels for various tests. Test strips can detect the presence of substances even at trace amounts

Immunoassay Test Strips

Commonly known as “test strips,” immunoassay strips can rapidly identify the presence or absence of their target substance. We have strips that can test for: fentanyl, opiates, nitazenes, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, methamphetamine, xylazine, and medetomidine.

The test strips we use have been validated (by us and other scientists) and have a high degree of accuracy, especially when combined with the other methods. However, no method is perfectly foolproof. We can talk through what might cause false negative or false positive results.

Don’t throw them out! Used test-strips can be returned to us for laboratory confirmatory testing.

Fourier transform infrared spectrometer used for drug checking

FTIR Spectroscopy

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is often considered the gold standard for point-of-service testing. Our portable machine is the size of a shoebox, and can provide results within minutes by comparing your drugs to a library of over 1,500 compounds.

These machines may have difficulty identifying compounds present at a low level in a sample (<5%) or drugs that may contain a mixture of multiple substances. The machine works for powders and liquids but may have difficulty analyzing plant matter or food materials.

The amount of drugs needed to check using the FTIR is approximately 5mg, or 0.005 of a gram.

Laboratory setup with scientific equipment, computer monitors displaying data graphs, large black flexible duct, and various cables connected to a machine labeled 'The ACCUF LC-plus' in a scientific research environment.

Laboratory Testing

Laboratory-based testing provides highly sensitive and specific results. These methods must be done via sending samples to our partner laboratory and therefore does not provide instantaneous results. Our partner laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Rapid Drug Analysis and Research (RaDAR) program uses both Direct Analysis in Real-Time (DART) mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

The laboratory can also provide purity information for a limited number of drugs, such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack, ketamine, and a number of common adulterants.

Contact us

Need your drugs checked? Have questions about our drug supply research? Get in touch.