Latest news with #HarmReductionVictoria
Time Out
11 hours ago
- Health
- Time Out
Just in: the first permanent pill testing site will open in Melbourne's inner north this year
After the legalisation of pill testing back in November last year, and a successful summer of trialling a mobile testing service at festivals across the state, the next step in the drug-checking trial has arrived in Melbourne. The state government has revealed the location of Victoria's first-ever fixed site for pill testing will open this year in the centre of Melbourne's inner north. The service will be located at 95 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy – close to one of our city's busiest nightlife hubs. The site will offer testing of most pills, capsules, powders, crystals, and liquids, all in an effort to reduce drug harm. It will be run by a consortium of Youth Support and Advocacy Service, the Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria. It will also offer free, confidential, and non-judgmental harm reduction advice from health professionals, medical support and social services when needed. The pill testing service is set to open by August 2025 and will operate Thursday to Sunday. The legalisation of pill testing doesn't mean that any drugs will be decriminalised outside of being tested at the service, but does mean that people won't be breaking the law by bringing in drugs to be tested. According to information released by the state government, consultations with police will establish an arrangement that doesn't deter people from using the service. Victoria state was the third in the country legalise drug-checking, following the ACT and Queensland, and the first to create dedicated legislation to support pill testing. The motive behind the trial is ultimately to save lives and change behaviour around drug use, with plenty of research backing pill testing as an effective method to achieve this. It'll be an implementation trial that isn't designed to determine whether the service should exist long-term, but rather to test out different models with the aim to determine what works best in Victoria. A mobile pill testing service operated across Victoria's festival season last summer, travelling several music festivals and events, and is confirmed to return to five more festivals next summer. A Victorian ski resort has been named as the best spot in Australia for snowfall this winter
Daily Telegraph
a day ago
- Health
- 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
- Health
- 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.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
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.
