I went to a harm reduction pop-up event in my city mostly out of curiosity. I'd been buying what I thought was MDMA for about a year from the same source. Never tested it — I figured consistency meant safety.
The volunteers had fentanyl test strips and reagent test kits available for free. They were non-judgmental and professional. I brought a small sample of my MDMA in a baggie.
Reagent test: Marquis turned black — consistent with MDMA or MDA. Good so far. Then the fentanyl strip. Two lines. Positive.
My stomach dropped. I had taken this exact batch two weeks earlier at a show. My girlfriend had taken it too. We both could have died. MDMA doesn't contain fentanyl unless it's been cross-contaminated or deliberately cut — either way, it means careless or malicious supply chains.
The volunteers didn't lecture me. They gave me more test strips, showed me how to use them at home, and pointed me toward DanceSafe's mail-in testing service for full substance analysis. They gave me naloxone training and two nasal Narcan kits for free.
I test everything now. I carry Narcan everywhere. I've tested substances for friends who were too embarrassed to go themselves. One of those tests came back positive too.
Test. Your. Drugs.