Mass spectrometer testing of illicit drugs, a technique pioneered through Nanaimo's VIU campus, has grown over the last year through purchase of dedicated equipment. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

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Use of mass spectrometer drug testing developed in Nanaimo growing Island-wide

Sep 12, 2022 | 4:52 PM

NANAIMO — One year on from a sizeable amount of provincial government funding, a drug testing technology piloted by Vancouver Island University continues to grow.

Paper spray mass spectrometer testing technology developed through VIU’s Nanaimo campus continues to work on a daily basis at a harm reduction site in Victoria, with teams from the University of Victoria analyzing small samples of substances people bring in to test.

Dr. Chris Gill, one of the scientists behind the new techniques and technology, said $305,000 of provincial funding delivered in August 2021 enabled purchasing of a dedicated instrument which can be dialed in specifically for drug testing.

“It allowed for rapid information transfer from test to client, rather than having samples collected and brought to VIU then tested and the results relayed back with a significant delay in time.”

Over 6,000 drug checking tests have been conducted in the last 12 or so months.

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Previously testing was done on in a lab with equipment which couldn’t be moved to where it was needed most.

Different techniques and strategies are employed to evaluate drugs, with those on the ground in Victoria completing a research project to determine which methods are more effective.

A paper spray test for example will see a small sample of the drug put into alcohol then analyzed, a process which can detect trace amounts of toxicity.

“The machine analysis takes a minute, the sample preparation takes a couple of minutes but it might be as quick as a five minute turnaround for just the mass spectrometry measurements,” Gill told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Drugs can also be mailed to the testing site where users will receive a QR code linked to their sample, then they’re able to receive results confidentially online.

The constant fine-tuning of these methods is helping the idea spread beyond the south Island.

Testing sites are available in communities like Port Alberni and Campbell River where samples are sent to be analyzed.

“It’s gone beyond just an academic curiosity at this point…it’s proven technology that can be used by non-chemists to provide accurate information that’s just not available by any other approach.”

An increase in data being collected is also helping the wider fight against the drug toxicity crisis.

Gill said they’re now able to more easily track the hundreds of different dangerous additives such as types of fentanyl and benzodiazapines.

While they can’t say definitively where it’s coming from, knowing what’s circulating in the community allows those in harm reduction centres to provide better information to people coming in.

“Understanding how variable the drug supply is, helped guide the harm reduction efforts. No illicit drug is safe, being clear on that, but if you’re going to use it providing people with the best possible information on the potential dangers or potential unknowns is key.”

Funding and people are the two main elements required to see further growth.

Gill said chemists and scientists like him can only take an idea so far, and need those in the social sciences and experts in client-care to join them.

Partnering with the University of Victoria and harm reduction sites on the south Island was possible due to existing teams already there.

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