The laboratory-based technologies used by Toronto’s drug checking service include gas chromatography- and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. These technologies are very sensitive – they can identify hundreds of drugs, even if those drugs are only present in very trace amounts. When it comes to how much of each drug is present, we can report semi-quantified or quantified results.
Semi-quantified results
- Report whether there is more or less of a drug than other drugs in a sample (answer the question: is there more of drug X than drug Y in this sample?)
- Are listed from most to least present
- Are reported for drugs found in samples that are liquid, blotter, used equipment – or for drugs found in powders, crystals, rocks, or crushed bits of pills that could not be quantified
Quantified results
- Report the precise amount of a drug found in a sample (answer the question: how much of the total sample submitted is drug X?)
- Are reported in mg of a standard 10 mg sample and as a % of the total sample submitted
- Are currently only reported for some drugs in samples that are powders, crystals, rocks, or crushed bits of pills
- Semi-quantified results are reported for all other drugs found and listed from most to least present
View our poster explaining sample results.