A Quantitative Analysis of Street-Level Drugs Seized in New South Wales, Australia: Purity, Dose and Adulterants
Abstract
Introduction: The Combined Surveillance and Monitoring of Seized Samples (CoSMoSS) program is a joint harm reduction initiative between NSW Health and NSW Police Force. Here, we examine the contents and purity of a sample of seized suspected target drugs (cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine 'MDMA').
Methods: Between January 2021 and March 2025, 3378 street drug samples seized during routine operations by NSW Police Force within music festivals or specified geographic regions and suspected by police to contain a target drug were selected for expedited quantitative analysis with GC-MS, with results available within 1 month.
Results: As expected, most samples contained at least one target drug. About 1 in 6 samples (16.5%) were found to contain at least one adulterant and 3.9% of samples contained a novel psychoactive substance, including dipentylone, nitazenes, fentanyl analogues and novel benzodiazepines. Purity information is presented; median MDMA tablet dose was 104 mg and capsule dose was 64 mg (free base) and was higher in more recent years.
Discussion and conclusions: Some rarer substances with higher or unknown risk potential, including novel psychoactive substance, were detected. Adulteration of cocaine and methamphetamine with opioids and high variability in MDMA purity and dose, remain public health issues. CoSMoSS helps inform harm reduction messaging. Analysis of seized substances provides high-quality objective information about…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving the translation of search strategies using the Polyglot Search Translator: a randomized controlled trial
- Nutritional, Physical, Cognitive, and Combination Interventions and Frailty Reversal Among Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity in patients with haematological malignancies in Italy: a retrospective, multicentre, cohort study
- A randomized, controlled trial of oral propranolol in infantile hemangioma
- Clinical phenotypes of delirium during critical illness and severity of subsequent long-term cognitive impairment: a prospective cohort study
- Increased physical activity improves sleep and mood outcomes in inactive people with insomnia: a randomized controlled trial
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.