An Indianapolis nonprofit said it has been sending anonymous text alerts about possible contamination in the local drug supply to help prevent overdoses.
The messages are sent through CHARIOT, an anonymous texting service aimed at preventing overdoses in real time. Alerts are issued when Overdose Lifeline receives information about disruptions in the local drug supply chain, including “bad batches,” such as meth that’s been laced with opioids. The alerts can be triggered by tips from the public as well as by Overdose Lifeline tracking drug seizures by law enforcement.
In one example described by the nonprofit, a text went out a week before Christmas and said CHARIOT had received a report of a large seizure of meth, pressed pills and fentanyl in ZIP code 46203. The message urged recipients: “Please be cautious by testing drugs and having naloxone on hand.”
Overdose Lifeline founder Justin Phillips said the group is trying to respond to a pattern that research has described: overdoses often spike in the weeks after police action. The nonprofit also said people may experience withdrawal or decreased tolerance after disruptions, which can lead them to take more risks while using.
“We’ve got to address the unintended consequences,” Phillips said. “Otherwise we are going to lose a bunch of lives.”
Phillips’ work is personal. The story said she lost her son to a heroin overdose in 2013 and later helped push legislation in his name. Aaron’s Law, signed in 2015, expanded community access to naloxone, a medication the story said reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
To support harm-reduction efforts, Overdose Lifeline said it distributes naloxone and fentanyl test strips at pop-up events across Indianapolis. The group described the tools as harm reduction that minimizes the dangers of drug use. Breanna Hicks, a director at Overdose Lifeline who runs the CHARIOT program, said, “Harm reduction meets people where they are,” and added, “It’s a way to keep people safe and a segue into treatment.”
Overdose Lifeline said it tabled Jan. 7 downtown at Presidential Place Park, handing out hygiene kits, naloxone, test strips and brochures for recovery centers. The story described P’lare Sanders arriving at the table and becoming teary after looking at naloxone packages. Sanders, 45 and staying at Wheeler Mission, said, “My best friend died in my arms,” and that “Her drug dealer started cutting meth with fentanyl. Just to make a dollar.”
Later, the story said Sanders told Mirror Indy she wasn’t carrying naloxone at the time of the overdose and that she wished she had received the training. “I wish I would’ve had that training,” she said, and added, “Because maybe my friend would still be here.”
The nonprofit said CHARIOT works as a two-way system: nearly 500 people are signed up to receive alerts in Indianapolis, and they can also send information back to Overdose Lifeline. In early December, the story said, someone reported a federal raid in ZIP code 46225 and wrote that a supplier of fentanyl, carfentanil and pressed pills was arrested. Phillips said other texts come after people test their drugs and find traces of fentanyl or xylazine, a tranquilizer.
Phillips said “Shame and stigma are huge,” and described the alerts as a way to address barriers to getting help. “The text alerts are another way to address barriers that prevent people from getting help.”
Phillips said she believes her son Aaron would have benefited from the tools if they had been used widely a decade earlier. She said, “Had I known about drug testing, naloxone and trying to meet him where he was,” and added, “we could’ve had a different outcome.”
How to use CHARIOT: The nonprofit said people can sign up for alerts by texting “CHARIOT” to 888-450-3598. The story also said people using drugs can call the Never Use Alone Hotline at 800-484-3731 to connect with a peer. Overdose Lifeline said it offers free naloxone and test strips through ordering from the nonprofit.