ArticleHarm reduction journal2022
Diverse psychotropic substances detected in drug and drug administration equipment samples submitted to drug checking services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 2019-April 2020.
Article in Harm reduction journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Fake anabolic androgenic steroids on the black market - a systematic review and meta-analysis on qualitative and quantitative analytical results found within the literature.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Trends in fentanyl-containing drug samples seized by law enforcement agencies across Canada.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- COmprehensive Meta-analysis and meta-regression of Psychiatric disorders in people with Amphetamine-type Stimulant use disorder Study (COMPASS): a protocol for a pilot study, a systematic review and a meta-analysis series.Systematic reviews · 2026Article
- The association between benzodiazepine proliferation in the unregulated drug supply and experiences of violence: A gender-based analysis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Article
- From trash to results: shortcomings and benefits of paraphernalia-based drug checking in Finland.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- The potential use of digital technologies to enhance opioid agonist treatment in rural and remote communities of British Columbia, Canada.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Harm reduction approaches for the use of benzodiazepines: a scoping review.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Self-reported pathways through which illicitly manufactured fentanyl enters the stimulant supply: Novel insights from people incarcerated for drug manufacturing and distribution.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2025Article
- Fentanyl, carfentanil and other fentanyl analogues in Canada's illicit opioid supply: A cross-sectional study.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Article
- A rapid review of current engagement strategies with people who use drugs in monitoring and reporting on substance use-related harms.Harm reduction journal · 2023Review
- Prevalence of fentanyl in methamphetamine and cocaine samples collected by community-based drug checking services.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
- Development and validation of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of 53 benzodiazepines in illicit drug samples.Forensic chemistry (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2023Article
- Current attitudes toward drug checking services and a comparison of expected with actual drugs present in street drug samples collected from opioid users.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Community overdose surveillance: Fentanyl involvement in overdose deaths in rural Michigan.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2023Article
- Point-of-care community drug checking technologies: an insider look at the scientific principles and practical considerations.Harm reduction journal · 2023Review
- Article
- Development of a Graphene-Oxide-Deposited Carbon Electrode for the Rapid and Low-Level Detection of Fentanyl and Derivatives.Analytical chemistry · 2022Article
- Fentanyl in Pressed Oxycodone Pills: A Qualitative Analysis of Online Community Experiences with an Emerging Drug Trend.Substance use & misuse · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe overdose crisis has generated innovative harm reduction and drug market monitoring strategies. In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a multi-site drug checking service (DCS) pilot project was launched in October 2019. The project provides people who use drugs with information on the chemical composition of their substances, thereby increasing their capacity to make more informed decisions about their drug use and avoid overdose. DCS also provides real-time market monitoring to identify trends in the unregulated drug supply.
methodsSample data were obtained through analyses of drug and used drug administration equipment samples submitted anonymously and free of charge to DCS in downtown Toronto from October 10, 2019, to April 9, 2020, representing the first six months of DCS implementation. Analyses were conducted in clinical laboratories using liquid chromatography- and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS, GC-MS) techniques.
resultsOverall, 555 samples were submitted, with 49% (271) of samples that were found to contain high-potency opioids, of which 87% (235) also contained stimulants. Benzodiazepine-type drugs were found in 21% (116) of all samples, and synthetic cannabinoids in 1% (7) of all samples. Negative effects (including overdose, adverse health events, and extreme sedation) were reported for 11% (59) of samples submitted for analysis.
conclusionsToronto's DCS identified a range of high-potency opioids with stimulants, benzodiazepine-type drugs, and a synthetic cannabinoid, AMB-FUBINACA. This information can inform a range of evidence-informed overdose prevention efforts.
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