Empowering harm-reduction behaviour with drug checking

published on August 18, 2026 in Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute blog

Seeing a list of the unexpected active substances in their drugs empowered individuals to take harm-reduction steps, according to a study led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Mint (Lianping) Ti. Of the hundreds of individuals surveyed who used a drug-checking service, many reported engaging in risk-reduction practices following receipt of their results, including disposing of unregulated drugs containing one or more substances they did not want to consume.

“This study has shown that drug-checking services can be an invaluable source of information for individuals using these services and potentially for health authorities overseeing care provision for populations affected by the toxic drug supply,” shares Ti…