From trash to results: shortcomings and benefits of paraphernalia-based drug checking in Finland

The protocol used was too slow for visitors to make preconsumption decisions. However, this shortcoming was not directly connected to the use of paraphernalia samples instead of actual drug samples, as the protocol could be accelerated with sufficient resources. The use of paraphernalia also caused uncertainties related to presubmission contamination. However, the protocol proved to be beneficial for initiating harm reduction discussions during the submission of the samples and the public dissemination of the results at the service locations, and should be considered as a starting point for drug checking when the use of actual drug samples is not possible.