State-first fixed drug test service aims to save lives
A state's first-of-its-kind standalone clinic where people can test their drugs for dangerous ingredients will save lives.
Victoria's first fixed pill-testing site will open in Fitzroy, one of Melbourne's most popular nightlife areas, near public transport, health care and social services, following a successful trial during the summer festival period.
The service will offer testing for most pills, capsules, powders, crystals, and liquids and be able to detect highly dangerous synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and Nitazenes, which can be mixed with other drugs and cause death.
The site will launch by August and operate Thursday to Saturday, staffed by Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia, and Harm Reduction Victoria, which also runs mobile testing sites.
Medical support, social services, and secondary and confirmatory testing of substances will also be offered.
The service will also act as real-time surveillance, allowing health authorities to detect and rapidly assess new types of synthetic drugs in circulation.
It comes as the state hailed a successful summer mobile pill testing trial at five music festivals, with the service to continue at five more this summer.
Almost 1400 samples were tested, with MDMA, ketamine and cocaine the main drugs detected and two statewide drug advisories issued.
Two-thirds of service users said it was their first time having a conversation with a health professional about drug harm reduction and more than 30 per cent said they would take a smaller amount.
The service is about saving lives, Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said.
"No drug is safe but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," she said.
Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in 2022.
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Pill testing clinic set for entertainment hotspot
A pill testing clinic under construction in the heart of a major shopping and entertainment precinct is set to open its doors within months. The service at Brunswick Street in Fitzroy in inner Melbourne will be near public transport, busy nightlife venues, healthcare providers, social services and housing commission towers. Open Thursday to Saturday, it allows users to check if their illicit drugs contain extra dangerous ingredients, following a trial of mobile sites at music festivals. The anonymous service is open to people of any age and results should be returned within 20 minutes. "It's great that people can test the drugs that they're going to be taking any way to make sure that everyone's safe," local hairdresser Carly Allen told AAP. Her business Fawn Studio is next door and Ms Allen said people from "lots of different walks of life" visit the street so she wasn't concerned it would attract drug users. "These are people who are trying to be conscious with what they're doing and there's a service that can make it safe for them so I feel fine about that," she added. Another business owner told AAP they noticed more drug users in area in recent years and called on authorities to do more to protect locals, including more police. It is not a criminal offence for drug-checking facility clients to possess small amounts of illicit substances but Victoria Police has warned drug traffickers can be charged no matter where they operate. "Officers will not be attending the fixed site unless responding to incidents requiring police attendance," a spokesperson said. "Police will continue to enforce against drug offences away from the drug-checking place and seize any illicit substances." Mental health and brain sciences expert Dr Amie Hayley said it would provide a reliable, judgement-free space where people could make informed choices about their drug use. "The location is very appropriate - close to Melbourne nightlife and able to capture vulnerable members of our community," the Swinburne University senior research fellow said. City of Yarra mayor Steven Jolly, who represents a ward in Fitzroy, said he had "zero push back" from residents. Most pills, capsules, powders, crystals and liquids can be tested for highly dangerous synthetic opioids including fentanyl and Nitazenes, which can be fatal. The results offer real-time drug market surveillance so health authorities can assess new types of synthetic drugs in circulation. On top of substance checking, the clinic will offer medical and social services support from the Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria. Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the service was about saving lives. "No drug is safe but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," she said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin described pill testing as a "flawed" concept and pushed for resources to be directed at rehabilitation services instead. "We need to focus more on prevention and education, on giving people a pathway out of drug use, not a path further into it," Mr Battin said. MDMA, ketamine and cocaine were the main drugs detected from some 1400 samples tested at the trial at five music festivals over summer. Two-thirds of users said it was their first time having a conversation with a health professional about drug harm reduction and more than 30 per cent said they would take a smaller amount. Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in 2022. A pill testing clinic under construction in the heart of a major shopping and entertainment precinct is set to open its doors within months. The service at Brunswick Street in Fitzroy in inner Melbourne will be near public transport, busy nightlife venues, healthcare providers, social services and housing commission towers. Open Thursday to Saturday, it allows users to check if their illicit drugs contain extra dangerous ingredients, following a trial of mobile sites at music festivals. The anonymous service is open to people of any age and results should be returned within 20 minutes. "It's great that people can test the drugs that they're going to be taking any way to make sure that everyone's safe," local hairdresser Carly Allen told AAP. Her business Fawn Studio is next door and Ms Allen said people from "lots of different walks of life" visit the street so she wasn't concerned it would attract drug users. "These are people who are trying to be conscious with what they're doing and there's a service that can make it safe for them so I feel fine about that," she added. Another business owner told AAP they noticed more drug users in area in recent years and called on authorities to do more to protect locals, including more police. It is not a criminal offence for drug-checking facility clients to possess small amounts of illicit substances but Victoria Police has warned drug traffickers can be charged no matter where they operate. "Officers will not be attending the fixed site unless responding to incidents requiring police attendance," a spokesperson said. "Police will continue to enforce against drug offences away from the drug-checking place and seize any illicit substances." Mental health and brain sciences expert Dr Amie Hayley said it would provide a reliable, judgement-free space where people could make informed choices about their drug use. "The location is very appropriate - close to Melbourne nightlife and able to capture vulnerable members of our community," the Swinburne University senior research fellow said. City of Yarra mayor Steven Jolly, who represents a ward in Fitzroy, said he had "zero push back" from residents. Most pills, capsules, powders, crystals and liquids can be tested for highly dangerous synthetic opioids including fentanyl and Nitazenes, which can be fatal. The results offer real-time drug market surveillance so health authorities can assess new types of synthetic drugs in circulation. On top of substance checking, the clinic will offer medical and social services support from the Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria. Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the service was about saving lives. "No drug is safe but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," she said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin described pill testing as a "flawed" concept and pushed for resources to be directed at rehabilitation services instead. "We need to focus more on prevention and education, on giving people a pathway out of drug use, not a path further into it," Mr Battin said. MDMA, ketamine and cocaine were the main drugs detected from some 1400 samples tested at the trial at five music festivals over summer. Two-thirds of users said it was their first time having a conversation with a health professional about drug harm reduction and more than 30 per cent said they would take a smaller amount. Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in 2022. A pill testing clinic under construction in the heart of a major shopping and entertainment precinct is set to open its doors within months. The service at Brunswick Street in Fitzroy in inner Melbourne will be near public transport, busy nightlife venues, healthcare providers, social services and housing commission towers. Open Thursday to Saturday, it allows users to check if their illicit drugs contain extra dangerous ingredients, following a trial of mobile sites at music festivals. The anonymous service is open to people of any age and results should be returned within 20 minutes. "It's great that people can test the drugs that they're going to be taking any way to make sure that everyone's safe," local hairdresser Carly Allen told AAP. Her business Fawn Studio is next door and Ms Allen said people from "lots of different walks of life" visit the street so she wasn't concerned it would attract drug users. "These are people who are trying to be conscious with what they're doing and there's a service that can make it safe for them so I feel fine about that," she added. Another business owner told AAP they noticed more drug users in area in recent years and called on authorities to do more to protect locals, including more police. It is not a criminal offence for drug-checking facility clients to possess small amounts of illicit substances but Victoria Police has warned drug traffickers can be charged no matter where they operate. "Officers will not be attending the fixed site unless responding to incidents requiring police attendance," a spokesperson said. "Police will continue to enforce against drug offences away from the drug-checking place and seize any illicit substances." Mental health and brain sciences expert Dr Amie Hayley said it would provide a reliable, judgement-free space where people could make informed choices about their drug use. "The location is very appropriate - close to Melbourne nightlife and able to capture vulnerable members of our community," the Swinburne University senior research fellow said. City of Yarra mayor Steven Jolly, who represents a ward in Fitzroy, said he had "zero push back" from residents. Most pills, capsules, powders, crystals and liquids can be tested for highly dangerous synthetic opioids including fentanyl and Nitazenes, which can be fatal. The results offer real-time drug market surveillance so health authorities can assess new types of synthetic drugs in circulation. On top of substance checking, the clinic will offer medical and social services support from the Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria. Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the service was about saving lives. "No drug is safe but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," she said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin described pill testing as a "flawed" concept and pushed for resources to be directed at rehabilitation services instead. "We need to focus more on prevention and education, on giving people a pathway out of drug use, not a path further into it," Mr Battin said. MDMA, ketamine and cocaine were the main drugs detected from some 1400 samples tested at the trial at five music festivals over summer. Two-thirds of users said it was their first time having a conversation with a health professional about drug harm reduction and more than 30 per cent said they would take a smaller amount. Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in 2022. A pill testing clinic under construction in the heart of a major shopping and entertainment precinct is set to open its doors within months. The service at Brunswick Street in Fitzroy in inner Melbourne will be near public transport, busy nightlife venues, healthcare providers, social services and housing commission towers. Open Thursday to Saturday, it allows users to check if their illicit drugs contain extra dangerous ingredients, following a trial of mobile sites at music festivals. The anonymous service is open to people of any age and results should be returned within 20 minutes. "It's great that people can test the drugs that they're going to be taking any way to make sure that everyone's safe," local hairdresser Carly Allen told AAP. Her business Fawn Studio is next door and Ms Allen said people from "lots of different walks of life" visit the street so she wasn't concerned it would attract drug users. "These are people who are trying to be conscious with what they're doing and there's a service that can make it safe for them so I feel fine about that," she added. Another business owner told AAP they noticed more drug users in area in recent years and called on authorities to do more to protect locals, including more police. It is not a criminal offence for drug-checking facility clients to possess small amounts of illicit substances but Victoria Police has warned drug traffickers can be charged no matter where they operate. "Officers will not be attending the fixed site unless responding to incidents requiring police attendance," a spokesperson said. "Police will continue to enforce against drug offences away from the drug-checking place and seize any illicit substances." Mental health and brain sciences expert Dr Amie Hayley said it would provide a reliable, judgement-free space where people could make informed choices about their drug use. "The location is very appropriate - close to Melbourne nightlife and able to capture vulnerable members of our community," the Swinburne University senior research fellow said. City of Yarra mayor Steven Jolly, who represents a ward in Fitzroy, said he had "zero push back" from residents. Most pills, capsules, powders, crystals and liquids can be tested for highly dangerous synthetic opioids including fentanyl and Nitazenes, which can be fatal. The results offer real-time drug market surveillance so health authorities can assess new types of synthetic drugs in circulation. On top of substance checking, the clinic will offer medical and social services support from the Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria. Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the service was about saving lives. "No drug is safe but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," she said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin described pill testing as a "flawed" concept and pushed for resources to be directed at rehabilitation services instead. "We need to focus more on prevention and education, on giving people a pathway out of drug use, not a path further into it," Mr Battin said. MDMA, ketamine and cocaine were the main drugs detected from some 1400 samples tested at the trial at five music festivals over summer. Two-thirds of users said it was their first time having a conversation with a health professional about drug harm reduction and more than 30 per cent said they would take a smaller amount. Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in 2022.
Daily Telegraph
a day ago
- Daily Telegraph
Australia's first fixed pill testing site is opening in Melbourne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. The lifesaving service is expected to reduce pressure on frontline services. After successful trials at music festivals across the state, Melbourne is getting its first permanent pill testing site. Open Thursdays to Sundays from August in the inner-north suburb of Fitzroy from August, the facility is close to nightlife, public transport, community health and social services. According to the Victoria's Department of Health, about half of Australian adults have used drugs at some point in their lives, and there has been an increase in emergency department admissions relating to use and overdose deaths involving novel synthetic drugs. Run by Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia, and Harm Reduction Victoria, the government said the site will provide a free, lifesaving service. The results of pill testing globally Pill testing has been proven not to encourage people to use drugs, but to provide education and information about what people are actually taking, so they can make safer, more informed decisions. Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said, "No drug is safe, but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices". 65 per cent of service users spoke to a health professional about drug and alcohol safety and harm reduction for the first time. Image: Pexels "Our pill testing trial has already shown young people want the information that could keep them safe and now we'll support even more Victorians with our fixed site service in Fitzroy." During the service's trial period, almost 1400 samples were tested at five different festivals. 65 per cent of service users spoke to a health professional about drug and alcohol safety and harm reduction for the first time, and more than 30 per cent said they would take smaller amounts after these discussions. And in the UK, police and medical services at a festival said pill testing contributed to a 95 per cent decrease in drug-related hospital admissions. Image: iStock At a separate pill testing clinic in Canberra, one in 10 samples were discarded on-site once the service user learned what was in them. One third of people whose sample contained a different or additional drug from what they expected, or where results were inconclusive, said they 'definitely will not use' the illicit drug. And in the UK, police and medical services at a festival said pill testing contributed to a 95 per cent decrease in drug-related hospital admissions. Detection of lethal contaminants. Image: Unsplash Detection of lethal contaminants Despite Australia not experiencing the same level of fentanyl crisis as the US, the Australian Federal Police has made significant seizures of the opioid in the last three years, suggesting it may be cut into recreational drugs. Experts are also concerned about the growing presence of nitazenes in Australian wastewater. Canberra's CANTEST service identified a new variant with a high risk of overdose last year, which is 'one of the most potent drugs of its class ever detected.' The government said these drugs can be detected early and rapidly assessed through testing. The Fitzroy facility is staffed by chemists who analyse samples of substances, while trained harm reduction workers deliver test results and discuss possible risks. Image: Getty While still dangerous, being informed about the contents of their samples can help reduce the risk of overdose for service users. The Fitzroy facility is staffed by chemists who analyse samples of substances, while trained harm reduction workers deliver test results and discuss possible risks, service users' existing health conditions and potential interactions between drugs and prescription medications. In addition to saving lives and reducing drug harm, the service is hoped to decrease pressure on frontline services. Originally published as Australia's first fixed pill testing site is opening in Melbourne
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Permanent pill testing site announced for Fitzroy after successful music festival trials
The Victorian government has announced the location of the state's first permanent pill testing centre. The facility will open in August at 95 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, in Melbourne's inner-north, from Thursdays to Saturdays. It will be run by the same consortium running mobile testing — Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia, and Harm Reduction Victoria. It follows a successful mobile pill testing trial at five Victorian music festivals over summer and is part of a $4 million implementation trial. The government said the Fitzroy location was close to popular nightlife hubs, public transport and health care and social services. It said the facility would allow for the early detection and rapid assessment of new synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and nitazenes, and would provide a free, lifesaving service. The medical support and social services would be provided by Melbourne Health and Youth Projects, while the University of Melbourne's Metabolomics Australia would run secondary testing to confirm the results of the substances. "No drug is safe, but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said. "Our pill testing trial has already shown young people want the information that could keep them safe and now we'll support even more Victorians with our fixed site service in Fitzroy." The music festival testing saw 1,400 samples tested, with MDMA, ketamine and cocaine the main drugs detected. The government said 11 per cent of samples ended up not being what people had expected their drugs to be. It said 65 per cent of mobile testing users reported having their first harm reduction conversation with a health professional and almost a third said they would take a smaller amount as a result. Of those using the service, 91 per cent were aged between 18 to 30 years old. "Our pill testing trial has already shown young people want the information that could keep them safe," Ms Stitt said. She said the permanent facility would allow for the support of more Victorians.
