I started using fentanyl test strips about a year ago after a friend overdosed. That night I was getting ready to go out and decided to test the gram of cocaine I'd picked up. Standard procedure now — dissolve a small amount in water, dip the strip, wait two minutes.
Two lines appeared. Positive for fentanyl. In cocaine.
I stared at the strip for a long time. This was coke I would have done lines of at a party, probably shared with friends. No opioid tolerance among any of us. A hot spot in one line could have killed someone.
I flushed the entire gram. Forty dollars versus my life or a friend's life. The math is not complicated.
Fentanyl test strips cost about $1-2 each. You can get them from harm reduction organizations, some pharmacies, and online. They take 2 minutes. They detect fentanyl and most fentanyl analogues at very low concentrations. They are not perfect — they can miss carfentanil and some novel analogues, and a negative test doesn't mean the substance is safe — but they are an essential layer of protection.
Test everything. Every time. Even from sources you trust. Especially from sources you trust.