The CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service, which provides chemical analysis of drugs and pills, has now been running for two years in the ACT.
Minister for Population Health Emma Davidson said CanTEST, which was Australia’s first fixed-site health and drug checking service, was providing the community with important information about drugs to inform their choices and helps to reduce drug-related harm.
“Drug testing saves lives. Over its two years of operation, CanTEST has tested over 2,900 samples and provided over 4,000 health and alcohol and other drug interventions,” Minister Davidson said.
“The ACT Government is committed to treating substance use as a health issue, not a criminal issue. People take drugs. Removing the stigma to have honest conversations about your health can save your life.
“CanTEST is helping to reduce drug-related harm in the ACT. We have seen over 300 substances discarded because of the testing provided by this service, which is one in ten of the samples presented for testing.
“Programs like this lead drug harm reduction and support our community to make healthier choices. Half of the drugs tested were found to contain a substance that the person didn’t expect to see, and they were less likely to take the drug.”
MDMA, ketamine and cocaine are most commonly tested at CanTEST, followed by methamphetamine and heroin. There has also been a range of other substances presented for testing across this period, including:
- psychedelic drugs
- counterfeit and falsified medications sold on the black market
- substances mimicking other drugs.
“The testing allows CanTEST to alert the community about substances that have appeared at the service, including some that were particularly high risk,” Minister Davidson said.
“The evaluation of the first six months of this service by the Australian ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ University found that many people changed their behaviour, either through discarding or not using a substance or changing their behaviours to further reduce potential harm.
“It also showed that for over two-thirds of clients, this service was their first interaction with a health professional to discuss their drug use.”
The CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service is run by Directions Health Services in partnership with Pill Testing Australia and the Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy.
In June this year, the ACT Government committed to funding the service until June 2027.
CanTEST’s two year report can be found on their .
