Parkdale Queen West is a collection site and founding member of Toronto’s Drug Checking Service.
Toronto’s Drug Checking Service uses an off-site service model that provides detailed information on the contents of drug samples submitted by members of the public to collection sites, like Parkdale Queen West. Samples consist of either 10mg of a drug (about the size of a match head) or used drug equipment. The samples are then analyzed at a laboratory site and comprehensive results are made available to service users in person or online within 1-2 business days, helping individuals make more informed decisions about their substance use.
Toronto’s Drug Checking Service also conducts drug market monitoring of the unregulated drug supply through synthesizing and making publicly available the data it produces through their drug sample analysis, publishing regular reports and releasing alerts when there are trends or samples of concern.
Services/Supplies Offered
- Offsite drug checking using instruments such as Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) as well as gas chromatography- and high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC- and HR-LC-MS)
- Onsite drug checking using test strips (fentanyl and benzo)
- Tailored Harm Reduction information, tools, referrals & resources.
Additional Resources
- Toronto Drug Checking Service
- Terms of service
- Service and technology limitations
- Drug Checking
- BCCSU New Drug Checking Technologies in Canada Report
- The Drug Resource and Education Project (where you can find the 3 of 5 complete chapters of ‘The Drug Checking Manual’)
- PDF Summary Poster — Drug Checking Evidence Brief — CCSA 2024
- Drug Checking — Evidence Brief