As street drugs get deadlier, test kits may not detect dangerous new substances

Illicit drug test kits offer a glimmer of hope for drug users and those working to help them, but Health Canada has issued a warning about their use.

As Canada’s supply of street drugs grows increasingly dangerous due to harmful additives, testing kits have offered a glimmer of hope for drug users and those working to help them.

But on Monday, Health Canada warned that illicit drug test strips might not detect dangerous substances, including xylazine and fentanyl.

“No test is 100 per cent effective at detecting all potentially dangerous substances in illegal drugs,” Health Canada said in a statement.

“A false negative could result in a fatal overdose. Treat all illegal drugs as though they are potentially contaminated with unknown and dangerous substances.”

The agency warns that such test strips may be sold online or in stores as consumer products, but are not reviewed by the federal government for evidence of effectiveness as is done for medical devices.

A false negative means the test did not detect the targeted drug even though it was present in the sample. The agency says such a result can lead to a false sense of security.

Test strips work by mixing a sample of a substance with water and dropping the mixture on the strip.

Since 2016, more than 30,000 people have died of an overdose in Canada, according to Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett, with the country seeing “substantially elevated numbers of opioid-related deaths and other harms.”