Posted on 10/02/2021 5:01:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Law enforcement and health leaders in Monterey County have a new tool in their fight against the growing opioid crisis on the Central Coast.
"Basically what the machine does is in real-time can test a substance and tell you what's in it," said Dr. Reb Close of Montage Health and the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
It's called Tru Narc, a drug testing device rolled out Friday by Montage Health and the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. The $30,000 device can determine the makeup of counterfeit pills and illegal drugs.
"The safety comes down to the fact that as the drug market changes globally, locally, city by city we're seeing more and more contaminants in street drugs," said Dr. Casey Grover of Montage Health/CHOMP.
Tru Narc has the ability to test for over 300 of the most widely used illegal drugs. Within seconds law enforcement and health leaders can identify the drugs, possibly any new trends and then pour resources into areas where the drugs were discovered.
"We can send our social workers and our treatment program colleagues to that area with Narcan with treatment resources just to try and get people connected to care so that's our goal in doing this is to try and know what we're up against so we can figure out how we're going to respond," said Dr. Close.
Doctors and EMTs can also use Tru Narc to better treat an overdose patient if they know what the person is overdosing on.
"You’re going to have to give Narcan differently or more Narcan or you're going to want to be on the alert for this complication, it's more data to help us better able to serve our community and be safe with this really dangerous and scary drug landscape we're in," said Dr. Grover.
As the opioid crisis worsens and the number of deaths increases from fentanyl here on the central coast, information is key and Tru Narc provides it in real-time. On Friday, a dozen law enforcement and health partners were trained on the new device.
"It's more data to help us better able to serve our community and be safe with this really dangerous and scary drug landscape we're in," said Dr. Grover.
"Really grateful to be able to do this. I think our community needs it and deserves it," added Dr. Close.
Health leaders at CHOMP say all law enforcement agencies in Monterey County will have access to the Tru Narc test kit.
But, the fentanyl ones are the best!/s
That’s nice. Why isn’t the FBI and the alpha agencies stopping the drugs?
Our government seems to be not only complicit with our enemies but also the cartels.
The War On Drugs is just one more war the USA has lost and/or surrendered.
Cui Bono?
The DEA and other 3 letter agencies are making billions.
Fake stings with recycled drugs from busts.
Protection racket with China and cartels that control border Mexican states.
The greater the amount of illicit drugs, the more money given to these agencies to fight the drug war. A lot like big pharma. They create the disease and provide the “cure”
DEA has been working with Chinese narcotics for over 30 years. They have know about China white (fentanyl) since the 90s. The DEA knew all about the surge in fentanyl since 2005.
The DEA can’t conceal it anymore because of the fentanyl OD deaths.
In fact, the CDC miscoded fentanyl deaths as prescription fentanyl deaths and the crisis has been blamed on prescription opioids for a decade.
Prescription opioids have dropped by 40-50% since the peak in 11. ODs continue rise as pain patients go to the black market and the illicit supply becomes more dangerous with fentanyl and analogues as well as other new designer drugs.
a device like this will be a real boon for high level illicit drug wholesalers, and the $30,000 price is chump change for these kinds of drug dealers ...
I am sure it will be just as good and accurate as their current "road side" test.
Just a bit more pricey.
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