- Nantucket officials are beginning to test the island's sewage for cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, nicotine, and opiates.
- The Health Department aims to use this data to understand trends in illegal substance use and assess the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs.
- Biobot, a Cambridge-based company, will conduct the drug testing using samples already collected for COVID-19 and other disease monitoring.
- The initiative seeks to provide a data-driven understanding of local drug usage, moving beyond anecdotal evidence.
- Test results will be shared with healthcare partners to inform outreach and treatment efforts, though they will not be made public.
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