Residue and Post Overdose Substance Testing (RePOST)

Start year: 2024

Summary: The prevalence of illicit drug-related harm, including drug toxicity and overdose, remains a significant public health concern. The NSW Health ‘Prescription, Recreational and Illicit Substance Evaluation (PRISE) Program’ identifies, investigates and responds to cases of severe or unusual drug-related toxicity in NSW. Given the PRISE program’s focus on testing substances that cause ‘severe toxicity’, ‘poisoning’ or ‘clusters of adverse events’, there is potential for significant public health benefit from an expansion of the existing surveillance to routine testing at sentinel locations. The RePOST study will assess the feasibility of collecting drug residue samples for drug analysis at the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, using advanced technology. Additionally, the study will evaluate the potential for drug residue analysis to contribute to illicit drug market surveillance and drug alerts in NSW and evaluate selected technologies as suitable to support drug analysis at a fixed site injecting facility. The aims of the ‘Residue and Post Overdose Substance Testing’ (RePOST) study are to: i. Assess the feasibility of collecting drug residue samples for drug analysis at a supervised injecting facility. ii. Evaluate the potential for drug residue analysis to contribute to illicit drug market surveillance and drug alerts in NSW. iii. Evaluate selected technologies as suitable to support drug analysis at a supervised injecting facility.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.