In this keynote address, we’ll explore why novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and new markets have emerged in recent years; the motivations for use; and how, when, and where are people exposed to NPS. In this opening panel, experts will provide an overview of the current drug supply and how it has shifted over the past several decades in response to drug demand and prohibitionist policy changes. They will discuss the emergence of new potent opioids and sedatives into the underground opioid supply (e.g., fentanyl and its analogs, xylazine, etizolam, nitazenes, and medetomidine), the introduction of various adulterants and new cuts (e.g., BTMPS), as well as issues with the stimulant supply (e.g., accidental cross-contamination, counterfeit stimulant pills). How have these shifts unfolded over time? What are the regional and/or state-specific dynamics driving the emergence of these drugs? Which populations have been exposed to or sought out these drugs and what are key racial, ethnic, age, gender, and sexuality differences? What does the shifting supply mean for drug-related harms and our efforts to reduce them? What do we know and what don’t we know? How can we track these shifts better and what policy changes are needed? Recording date: March 13, 2025 Keynote speaker: Nabarun Dasgupta, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Panelists: Jaime Arredondo Lira, University of Victoria Traci Green, Brandeis University Alex Krotulski, Center for Forensic Science Research and Education Sheila Vakharia, Drug Policy Alliance Moderator: Maritza Perez Medina, Drug Policy Alliance For more educational content, check out our main channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrugPolicyAlliance The Drug Policy Alliance is building a world without the drug war where people who use drugs are supported, not punished. We’re building a world where drug policy is grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Join us: https://drugpolicy.org/ . Watch our full video catalog at https://bit.ly/3vGJF7E Facebook: https://bit.ly/2OJS6OJ Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rZmXoT LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yhrKH6 TikTok: https://bit.ly/3JeLEZx Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Qdm3XH

In this panel, experts will discuss how media, lawmakers, and advocates often, knowingly or unknowingly, affirm and promote fear and misinformation – often highly racialized – when new drugs emerge in the drug supply. Panelists will explain how sensationalized headlines about the latest drugs promote more stigma toward the people who use them. Panelists will address questions, such as: How do these headlines fuel public support for harsher penalties and more enforcement? What is the impact of media myths and misinformation on people who use drugs and harm reduction and healthcare providers in terms of staying safe and navigating drug-related risks? How can members of the media and advocates use their positions to raise awareness about shifting drug trends and balance the need for accurate information with our culture’s propensity to engage in highly stigmatized and unproductive fearmongering? Recording date: April 10, 2025 Panelists: Alec Karakatsanis, Civil Rights Corps Manisha Krishnan, WIRED Nima Shirazi, Citations Needed Maia Szalavitz, The New York Times Claire Zagorski, The University of Texas at Austin Moderator: Brian Pacheco, Drug Policy Alliance For more educational content, check out our main channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrugPolicyAlliance The Drug Policy Alliance is building a world without the drug war where people who use drugs are supported, not punished. We’re building a world where drug policy is grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Join us: https://drugpolicy.org/ . Watch our full video catalog at https://bit.ly/3vGJF7E Facebook: https://bit.ly/2OJS6OJ Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rZmXoT LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yhrKH6 TikTok: https://bit.ly/3JeLEZx Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Qdm3XH

With the advent of new technologies and new drugs, drug markets are changing. This panel will explore how drug markets have changed over time and what these changes mean for policies and interventions to reduce risk. Panelists will discuss: Where and how are drugs manufactured and distributed? How and where are people buying drugs? How do market changes impact criminalization, racial disparities, and overdose? How can we leverage these changes to promote more effective programs and practices? Recording date: May 8, 2025 Panelists: Jaclyn Hughto, Brown University Beau Kilmer, RAND Colin Miller, University of North Carolina Street Drug Analysis Lab Fernando Montero, Columbia University Jon Zibbell, RTI International Moderator: Sheila Vakharia, Drug Policy Alliance For more educational content, check out our main channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrugPolicyAlliance The Drug Policy Alliance is building a world without the drug war where people who use drugs are supported, not punished. We’re building a world where drug policy is grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Join us: https://drugpolicy.org/ . Watch our full video catalog at https://bit.ly/3vGJF7E Facebook: https://bit.ly/2OJS6OJ Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rZmXoT LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yhrKH6 TikTok: https://bit.ly/3JeLEZx Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Qdm3XH

Building on what we have learned during the earlier sessions, this panel will focus on solutions. We know that the U.S.’s prohibitionist policies will continue to incentivize new, and likely, more dangerous drugs. As drug policy reformers, people who use drugs, and people who care about people who use drugs, we need to be just as innovative and nimble as these new markets. What are the most promising harm reduction interventions that can provide timely information and strategies to stay safe for the people who most need it? How can we scale up community drug checking given current technological, financial, political, and logistical barriers to these technologies? How might we use drug checking to shift the drug supply from the ground up? What do models of safe supply have to offer? How can we think outside of the box and usher in a new era of drug policy reform that addresses these new drugs and new markets? We will envision how to harness our knowledge and resources to reduce the harms of the unpredictable drug supply and protect ourselves, the people we love, and the people most harmed by drug prohibition. Recording date: May 29, 2025 Panelists: Yarelix Estrada, Remedy Alliance/For The People Phoenix "Mohawk" Kellye, Rebel Harm Reduction Hayley Thompson, Toronto's Drug Checking Service Clare Schmidt, Remedy Alliance/For The People Louise Vincent, National Survivors Union Moderator: Aliza Cohen, Drug Policy Alliance For more educational content, check out our main channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrugPolicyAlliance The Drug Policy Alliance is building a world without the drug war where people who use drugs are supported, not punished. We’re building a world where drug policy is grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Join us: https://drugpolicy.org/ . Watch our full video catalog at https://bit.ly/3vGJF7E Facebook: https://bit.ly/2OJS6OJ Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rZmXoT LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yhrKH6 TikTok: https://bit.ly/3JeLEZx Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Qdm3XH

Watch this video to learn more about searching and navigating results data and data visualizations on StreetCheck's public facing website StreetCheck.org.

This webinar may be a helpful resource to learn more about StreetCheck and how to navigate the site and search features to explore drug results and trends.

This video demos the process of using BTNX xylazine test strips along with BTNX fentanyl test strips and DTM cassette style test strips

This video demos the process of using DTM cassette style xylazine test strips

Recent headlines have sounded the alarm on newly emerging drugs like xylazine, fentanyl analogs, etizolam, and nitazene analogs contributing to injuries, overdoses, and fatalities across North America. Advanced drug checking technologies can help people who use drugs to understand and respond to the everchanging drug supply by taking precautions and practicing harm reduction. In this roundtable, our presenters will provide a snapshot of national and regional drug supply trends from drug checking laboratory data and see how harm reduction programs are using this information to help keep communities safe. Speakers: Alex Krotulski, PhD, is the Associate Director of Toxicology and Chemistry at The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education and Program Manager for NPS Discovery - an open-access drug early warning system operating in the United States. Traci Green, PhD, MSc is Professor and Director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She supports the Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream and Streetcheck.org Date: Recorded February 28, 2023 For more educational content, check out our main channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrugPolicyAlliance The Drug Policy Alliance is building a world without the drug war where people who use drugs are supported, not punished. We’re building a world where drug policy is grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Join us: https://drugpolicy.org/ . Watch our full video catalog at https://bit.ly/3vGJF7E Facebook: https://bit.ly/2OJS6OJ Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rZmXoT LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yhrKH6 TikTok: https://bit.ly/3JeLEZx Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Qdm3XH