Stop guessing – Drug checking saves lives

Interior Health has drug checking services in Kamloops, Cranbrook, Nelson, Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon. Fentanyl test strips are available for people to take home and check their own drugs, and can be picked up at close to 100 locations throughout the region. To find a drug checking location near you, visit drugchecking.ca.

Interior Health uses FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), an instrument that uses infrared light to reliably detect the composition of drugs.

Drug checking also uses test strips to check for the presents of fentanyl and benzodiazepines (a.k.a benzos). 

• Overdose is now the leading cause of death in B.C. for people between the ages of 10 and 59, surpassing homicides, suicides, accidents and natural diseases combined. 
• 53 per cent of opioids checked in the Interior in June 2025 contained benzos. The addition of benzos in opioid drugs has made overdose response more difficult because naloxone doesn’t work on benzos.
• Fentanyl is often present in all opioid-type drugs, from pressed pills like oxycodone and Percocet to “down” and heroin. It's also sometimes found in other drugs as well.

Find a drug checking location near you

Naloxone is a widely available medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It has been a vital tool in combatting the toxic drug crisis. 
How to use Naloxone

Naloxone is available through the provincial Take Home Naloxone (THN) program. The program provides training and naloxone kits free of charge. For more information, visit HealthLinkBC.

Locate a THN site in your community

For up-to-date information on toxic drug alerts, sign up for text alerts by sending the keyword JOIN to ALERTS (253787). When there’s a drug or toxic drug alert, IH shares information on the Media Centre & Alerts page.

Call 310-MHSU (6478) to reach your local Mental Health and Substance Use Centre  for support in your community.

If you’re experiencing feelings of hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm, you can call one of these numbers. These services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays:

• Interior Crisis Line Network - 1-888-353-2273
• Suicide Crisis Helpline - 988
• KUU-US (Indigenous) Crisis Line - 1-800-588-8717
• Métis Crisis Line - 1-833-638-4722

• Drugchecking.ca
• Harm Reduction
• Find a harm reduction supply site near you
• What's in your drugs?
• Overdose Prevention & Treatment 
• Toxic drug treatment options
• Toward the Heart 

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