Pre-Implementation Tool For Drug Checking Programs

Drug checking is an intervention that requires time-intensive training and expertise development. In the United States, there is a significant lack of technical expertise and capacity for training. The investment in funding for drug checking equipment has expanded faster than the investment in capacity and implementation infrastructure, resulting in a bottleneck of programs who have funding for a machine, but can’t access training for their technicians.

To help streamline the drug checking implementation process, the following is a list of pre-implementation steps that a program must have completed in advance of formal training and technician apprenticeship. There are additional (non-required) suggestions to jump-start the program while waiting for training. These steps will help to ensure that drug checking will be implemented in a way that meets the needs of the community, will speed the training process, and can help to build the technician’s knowledge base about drugs and the local drug supply.