March 25, 2025 – Springfield, Massachusetts – The Hampden District Attorney’s Office continues its proactive efforts to address the substance use crisis through the Hampden County Addiction Taskforce (HCAT) – a collaborative initiative bringing together law enforcement, healthcare professionals, recovery advocates and community leaders. HCAT meets monthly to share resources, discuss trends and develop strategies to combat addiction and overdose-related deaths in Hampden County.

At the March HCAT meeting, attendees participated in a presentation on drug checking, a harm reduction strategy that allows individuals to test substances for dangerous additives. Drug checking allows people who use drugs to make informed decisions about substance use, with several key benefits including giving the person a sense of autonomy and empowerment, self-regulation, harm reduction, and public health monitoring.

The presentation was offered by Dr. Traci Green, Jamie Davis and Ivy Sabal of Brandeis University StreetCheck & Massachusetts Drug Data Supply Stream (MADDS), as well as Kyle Harrington of Tapestry Health.

MADDS is a research collaboration between Brandeis University, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, community partners, and police, with the goal of analyzing the unregulated drug supply to inform public health, safety, and policy responses. MADDS was piloted in 2019 in Boston and New Bedford, with current expansions to Springfield and Lowell. StreetCheck is a free, web-based platform and app for drug checking programs. It helps catalog drug samples, speed up analysis, and communicate results effectively. StreetCheck also ensures faster and more reliable drug supply monitoring.

Drug checking services are legal statewide when conducted by a harm reduction provider. Legal protections include that harm reduction workers cannot be charged or prosecuted for offering the services. Participants are protected from possession charges while on-site at testing locations, and there is no risk of criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action for service providers.

Samples that are accepted for testing include powders, crystals, pills, capsules, containers, used pipes, baggies, wax folds, cookers and cottons. No biological samples, syringes or items with visible blood are accepted.

Presenters shared current drug trends in Massachusetts based off the drugs they are checking, and explained they are seeing the presence of nitazenes, which are synthetic opioids, as well as BTMPS, a chemical additive.

Nitazenes are highly potent opioids that can be weaker, equal to, or stronger than fentanyl, and is found in fentanyl and heroin mixtures, often alongside xylazine. Nitazenes can cause stronger withdrawal symptoms and higher overdose risks of opioid-naïve users. Users report yellow-tinted vapors when smoked, a “medicine” taste, rashes, ear ringing, nausea and loss of consciousness.

BTMPS is a plastic stabilizer chemical now appearing in dope, heroin, and fentanyl, sometimes in large amounts. While there is limited data on human impact, reports include a fishy or “shrimp ramen” smell, weak drug effects, dizziness, nausea, and a burning sensation while injecting. It can cause respiratory issues, stomach pain, vision problems, and skin corrosion.

Tapestry Health is a key partner in providing point-of-care drug checking services in Western Massachusetts. They offer analysis to detect active ingredients and cutting agents in street drugs and provide results in real-time along with harm reduction counseling and safety planning. Tapestry’s services are available to people who use drugs looking for information on their supply, or even service providers and harm reductionists looking to understand regional drug trends.

Tapestry Health harm reduction site locations include 306 Race St. in Holyoke, 1985 Main St. in Springfield, 17 East Silver St. in Westfield, 16 Center St. in Northampton, 12 Ames Ave. in Chicopee, and 40 School St. in Greenfield.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni joined the HCAT meeting, thanking the team of approximately 50 attendees for their efforts.

“The opioid crisis requires a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, treatment, and enforcement. HCAT fosters collaboration among key stakeholders to ensure that we are using every available tool to save lives and support recovery,” Gulluni said of the taskforce.

HCAT meetings provide a platform for organizations across Hampden County to share data, discuss best practices, and work together on solutions tailored to the region’s needs. Through these efforts, the District Attorney’s Office remains committed to reducing overdoses, expanding access to treatment, and promoting public safety.