Latest news with #YouthSupportandAdvocacyService
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
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.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
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.
