A Brief Introduction to Drug Checking & Why It’s Important

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Drug checking encompasses a range of technologies, with the most accessible one being reagent tests. Different chemical mixtures (reagents) can be applied to drug samples in order to reduce your chance of taking the wrong drug. Based on the color reaction (or lack thereof) from a test, you’ll have a better idea of the likelihood that you have the correct drug.

The MDMA and LSD markets, among others, are notoriously impure. Whether you’re using an illicit drug or a research chemical, reagents should nearly always be employed. Some of the adulterants that have been found in the aforementioned markets can be easily dangerous or deadly, such as 25i-NBOMe and PMA.

Among the common testing liquids are: Marquis, Mandelin, Mecke, Ehrlich, Liebermann, Folin, Simon’s, and Froehde.

Depending on the drug you’re trying to use, different tests should be employed.

More advanced testing options also exist, one of which is Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Unlike reagents, which don’t actually identify which drug is in a sample, GC-MS and related technologies can be used for identification. You’ll often have to send your sample elsewhere and pay a fee in order to gain access to GC-MS testing.