Working to minimize drug-related harm in Montana and provide evidence-based resources for our local communities.
Honest information about drugs is necessary for healthy communities.
Our intention is for this virtual platform to make drug, and drug checking legal information, as well as comprehensive harm reduction resources more accessible to all Montanans.
This website is created and managed in collaboration with the Missoula, Montana Chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). Click the button below to learn more about Missoula SSDP!
Drug checking is a critically important life-saving resource.
The pages linked here explain the basics of drug checking kits, including fentanyl test strips. We highly recommend reading this information. Please contact us with any questions or suggestions.
Montana’s current approach to drug policy negatively impacts our local communities and our communities’ future.
These policies directly impact an individual’s ability to access help and support. They limit the potential of communities to provide life-saving support and evidence-based interventions.
We advocate for this by providing educational resources, overdose response training, and direct aid through harm reduction strategies.
What the heck is harm reduction anyway?
CW: substance use, overdose, fentanyl poisoning
Harm reduction has many definitions. In this episode of The Health Buzz -a podcast hosted by peer health educators at the University of Montana- we discuss what harm reduction means to us. Two years later, we have the following updates to add:
Open Aid Alliance has since moved to 715 Ronan St, and their hours have changed. Services are available 10-5 Monday-Thursday.
When recording this episode, we were unaware of the harms of “fentanyl hysteria”; so we did not mention risks associated with false positives. For example, people have been doxxed and threatened due to unconfirmed positive results. Fentanyl testing strips are not a surefire way to confirm whether a sample has fentanyl, which can only be done with technologies like GC-MS.
This was also right after we implemented the medical amnesty policy at the University of Montana. The policy is in place, but most students are still unaware of how it works. If you’re interested in helping further this effort, please let us know!
The newsletter mentioned at the end is no longer active; but we can still be reached at the mentioned email.
The Iron Law of Prohibition remains valid: the crackdown on natural opiates created a more toxic, deadly, and unpredictable drug supply by encouraging fentanyl production. Subsequently, the fentanyl crackdown announced in the ‘23 SOTU address will repeat this process. We should prepare for an even deadlier drug supply that includes xylazine, nitazenes, and other new drugs that will be invented and manufactured to meet demand. Until safe access can be assured for all, an accessible access to sufficient testing procedures needs to be a top priority!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead