Canada's Opioid Crisis: A Call for Innovative Detection Solutions

Canada has been grappling with a devastating opioid crisis since the mid-2010s, declared a public health emergency in British Columbia in 2016. Over 52,000 Canadians have lost their lives to overdose-related deaths, with illicit fentanyl and its analogues implicated in the majority of cases. In 2024 alone, fentanyl contributed to 75% of opioid overdose fatalities, a stark 32% increase from 2016 levels. The unregulated drug supply is increasingly contaminated with potent adulterants like benzodiazepines (e.g., bromazolam) and novel fentanyl variants such as para-fluorofentanyl, often at trace levels below 5% by weight. These mixtures heighten overdose risks, as users unknowingly combine depressants, leading to respiratory failure.

Traditional detection methods struggle with complex spectral overlaps in street samples, underscoring the need for advanced analytics. Universities like the University of Victoria (UVic) are at the forefront, blending chemistry, computer science, and social work to develop point-of-care technologies that empower harm reduction.

UVic's Substance Drug Checking: Bridging Research and Community Safety

The Substance Drug Checking project, housed at UVic, exemplifies higher education's role in public health. Launched as a collaborative effort between UVic's Department of Chemistry, School of Social Work, and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), it provides free, confidential analysis of street drugs at a Victoria storefront and satellite sites across Vancouver Island. Using as little as 10 mg—a grain of rice—the team employs attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, paper-spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS), and immunoassay strips to identify active ingredients, contaminants, cutting agents, and fentanyl traces.

Since inception, Substance has analyzed thousands of samples, revealing trends like benzodiazepine cuts in 32.7% of opioid downs in December 2025. Monthly reports detail findings, such as 68.5% of 298 samples from late December 2025 being 'as expected' but highlighting adulterants in the rest. This real-time data informs harm reduction strategies, alerting users via alerts and partnering with Island Health and local services. Led by figures like Professor Dennis Hore, the interdisciplinary team—including chemists, social workers, pharmacists, and lived-experience advisors—decolonizes services on unceded Indigenous territories, addressing stigma and criminalization.

Breakthrough Publication: Neural Networks Revolutionize Adulterant Detection

Published on March 5, 2026, in Drug Testing and Analysis (DOI: 10.1002/dta.70050), 'Neural Network-Based Detection of Adulterants in Opioid Samples Using IR Absorption Spectroscopy' by Joshua Jai, Lea Gozdzialski, Bruce Wallace, Chris G. Gill, and Dennis Hore marks a pivotal advancement. Drawing from 10,909 real-world opioid samples checked at Substance, the study trains feedforward neural networks (NNs) on IR spectra (650–1150 cm⁻¹) labeled by PS-MS.

The focus: detecting trace bromazolam (a benzodiazepine) and para-fluorofentanyl (a fentanyl analogue) at 1–50 w/w%, often below traditional limits of detection (LOD) of 5–10 w/w%. This open-access paper underscores UVic's commitment to scalable, AI-driven tools for community drug checking.

Step-by-Step: How IR Spectroscopy Meets Neural Networks

ATR-FTIR works by pressing a sample against a diamond crystal, measuring infrared absorption as a molecular fingerprint via vibrational modes. For opioids like fentanyl, spectra show peaks from C-H, C=O, and N-H bonds, but adulterants cause overlaps, challenging manual interpretation.

1. Sample Prep: Crush 1–5 mg, homogenize, apply to crystal.
2. Spectral Acquisition: Agilent 4500a scans 650–1150 cm⁻¹, yielding 352 features post-interpolation/standardization.
3. Preprocessing: Autoencoder removes outliers (top 5% error), splitting 80/20 train/test (n=8282 bromazolam, n=8147 para-fluorofentanyl).
4. NN Architecture: Seven-layer feedforward NN—input (352), four dense ReLU layers with dropout, binary cross-entropy output—trained to classify presence/absence.
5. Validation: Monitor loss; SHAP analysis reveals key features (e.g., 830 cm⁻¹ bromazolam aromatic C-H).

PS-MS confirms labels: sample on paper triangle, solvent/voltage ionizes for mass analysis, gold standard for traces.

Impressive Performance: Outpacing Random Forests

The NN achieved F1-scores of 0.88 (bromazolam) and 0.89 (para-fluorofentanyl), with accuracies of 0.92/0.93, recalls 0.88/0.86, and AU ROC 0.96. Critically, true positive rates (TPR) for <5 w/w% hit 0.79/0.69—vs. random forest's (RF) 0.35/0.28—reducing false negatives by capturing subtle spectral nuances.

• Bromazolam: Precision 0.89, fewer false negatives across concentrations.
• Para-fluorofentanyl: Precision 0.93, excels despite interferents.

RF lagged (F1 0.66/0.76), highlighting NNs' superiority in non-linear feature learning. Confusion matrices and precision-recall curves confirm robustness on diverse street samples.

Real-World Impact: Saving Lives Through Data-Driven Harm Reduction

Substance's 2025 reports show persistent adulteration: benzos in one-third of opioids, fentanyl ubiquitous. This NN lowers LODs, enabling alerts like 'para-fluorofentanyl detected—start low, go slow.' In BC, where overdoses peaked amid polysubstance risks, such tech supports decriminalization pilots and policy (e.g., B.C. Ministry of Health funding).

Broader stats: Toronto paramedic opioid calls declined in 2025, but national vigilance needed. UVic's model scales to other sites, integrating with apps for user feedback.

Interdisciplinary Excellence at UVic and Beyond

UVic's fusion of chemistry (Hore, Jai, Gozdzialski), mass spec (Gill at Vancouver Island University), and social work (Wallace) exemplifies Canadian higher ed strengths. CISUR provides context, ensuring ethical, user-centered design.

Similar efforts: BCCSU's drug checking pilots detected fentanyl early. Careers blend analytical chemistry, machine learning, and public health—vital amid ~40,000 annual samples nationwide.

For aspiring researchers, UVic offers grad programs in chemistry and computer science, fostering skills in spectroscopy and AI.

Challenges, Solutions, and Future Horizons

Challenges: Data scarcity for rare adulterants, NN 'black box' nature. Solutions: Transfer learning, augmentation, technician-guided hybrids.

Future: Regression for quantification, multi-modal fusion (IR+Raman+MS), emerging psychotropics. Standardization across Canada could amplify impact, tying to national strategies.

• Benefits: Fewer ODs, informed users, policy evidence.
• Risks: Overreliance without validation.

UVic eyes expansion, potentially via academic collaborations.

Careers in Opioid Research: Opportunities in Canadian Higher Ed

This work highlights demand for experts in analytical chemistry, AI, and harm reduction. UVic and peers like UBC, McMaster seek postdocs, faculty in research jobs. Skills: Python/TensorFlow for NNs, FTIR/Raman operation, stats.

Actionable: Pursue scholarships, intern at drug checking sites. Check Rate My Professor for UVic insights.

Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on Unsplash

Conclusion: UVic's Legacy in Harm Reduction Innovation

UVic's neural network advances position Canadian universities as global leaders in tech-driven public health. By detecting invisible threats in opioids, they save lives and train future innovators. Explore higher ed jobs, university positions, or career advice to contribute. For prof feedback, visit Rate My Professor.