How Does it Work?
New Haven Syringe Services Program tests donated drug samples (wax baggies, wrappers, pills) *sample size = grain of rice.
We use a testing machine to test your drug sample.
Our staff can talk with you about what potentially dangerous cuts are in your sample, and what you can do to stay safe.
You tell others about the service.
Get Narcan, sterile needles, and other harm reduction supplies while you're here!
What is FTIR?
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is a fancy name for a machine that can test your drugs to see potentially dangerous cuts. FTIR does not destroy the sample and allows our team to give you results in under ten minutes.
Disclaimer: the technicians at NHSSP will not be able to tell you specific quantities or percentages of components in a mixture. The FTIR cannot detect new or rare substances that are not in our database. The FTIR cannot distinguish between some substances that have a similar chemical structure. The FTIR cannot detect substances in small amounts (less than ~5%). Adapted from British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU).