DRUG TEST KITS AID HARM REDUCTION

Dear Editor:

I hope the North Shore Task Force (NSN: Task force says drugs a health
issue, Jan. 23) adds drug testing kits to their list of harm reduction tools.

Testing kits allow drug users to know whether or not the drugs they are
buying are what they're supposed to be. Black marketeers sometimes dilute
their product with other chemicals to increase their profit margin. Drug
use has its inherent dangers, but added impurities make it far more dangerous.

Pure heroin is far less problematic when unadulterated. Addicts sometimes
get used to low-purity heroin, then happen to purchase some higher purity
product. If the user doesn't know about the change in quality and takes his
or her usual dose, he or she will get too much and may suffer serious
consequences. A test kit will allow a heroin user to ensure his drug's
purity and will lead to fewer overdose deaths.

The same can be said for ecstasy. Testing kits are already being made
available in some areas at raves - where Ecstasy is a popular drug. MDMA,
when manufactured by pharmaceutical companies with strict quality controls,
can be quite safe. When manufactured by unregulated criminal organizations,
you never know what you're going to get. Testing kits allow users - who
have already decided to risk taking the drug - to know whether or not
they're actually getting Ecstasy or something far more dangerous.

Neil MacNaughton, Oakville, Ontario