Drug checking program helps Chicago opioid users reduce risks [Video]

CHICAGO — Using drugs safely. While health experts would rather people not take street drugs, many addicts say they cannot break free. So now, they need help testing the drugs to screen for more toxic and deadly components like fentanyl and other contaminants that up the risk of overdoses.

As the opioid crisis claims tens of thousands of lives a year, informing and perhaps saving just one person is the mission of dedicated harm reduction specialists like David Peress who is with Chicago Recovery Alliance.

On a recent day in Chicago, Peress worked from a mobile unit and tested a bag of “dope” — the generic term used to describe unknown powder.

Using a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer—or FTIR—Peress can identify the multiple substances in a bag of powder bought on the street.

“With FTIR, you could scan something right away, and we can give you a pretty comprehensive analysis of what you are …