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Alberta’s supervised consumption sites should be permitted to offer drug testing to help users learn what dangers might be lurking in their illicit narcotics, the province’s opioid commission recommended Friday.

While questions persist about the effectiveness of fentanyl-sensing strips and other testing devices, providing insight to users on what they plan to inject or ingest will undoubtedly save lives, commission leaders said.

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“Anytime you can give people a bit more understanding than absolutely none about what’s in their drugs, I think that’s a positive,” Elaine Hyshka, co-chair of the Minister’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission, told a news conference downtown.

Six supervised consumption sites have been approved for Alberta. Facilities in Calgary and Lethbridge have already opened, while four sites in Edmonton are expected to open within weeks.

The province’s latest report on the opioid crisis showed at least 562 Albertans died last year due to a fentanyl-related overdose.