Key Points
- 78 health organisations and experts are calling for the Victorian government to establish drug-checking sites.
- Studies show the facilities are working to reduce harm in 28 countries.
- Queensland is set to launch two sites in 2024.
Debbie Warner spent four days in an intensive care unit wondering if her son would die.
The 26-year-old thought he took MDMA, the active ingredient in the party drug ecstasy, but the substance it was laced with caused him to overdose.
"He'd taken it before and never had a problem. But this one he took, he ended up in hospital, in ICU," she told SBS News.
"Not knowing if he was going to live, or if he did, whether he was going to have brain damage … the psychological trauma for the whole family was just horrendous."
Her son, who survived but now struggles with long-term PTSD, said if there had been a drug testing site in Victoria he would have used it.
The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), with the support of 77 health and community organisations, published a statement on Monday pushing for the Victorian government to implement a drug-checking service and early warning system in the state.
They argue the service is needed to combat a surge in drug-related deaths due to unintended consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS).
NPS mimic the effects of illicit drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine, MDMA and LSD, often with severe consequences.
VAADA program manager Scott Drummond said the government needed to create the service to save lives, as recommended four times by the Coroner's Court of Victoria in six years.
"Sadly, there is still more work to do to save lives – with a simple next step being to develop a drug checking system, like ACT and Queensland," he said.
What are drug-checking services?
Drug-checking services refer to a mix of fixed and mobile facilities, where Australians could anonymously test their substances for both the content and dosage of drugs.
This would flag the makeup of a drug, including unexpected substances or higher-than-usual doses to proactively reduce the number of fatal incidents.
Once the test is complete, a healthcare worker would talk users through the results, educating them about the substances and how to minimise harm if they still choose to take them.
"It feels like a no-brainer to me, especially after what we went through as a family," Debbie said, stating the "deaths are so preventable".
The data gathered would also be fed into an early warning system, which would provide community members with real-time warnings about dangerous substances circulating.
RMIT University drug policy expert Monica Barratt said real-time information on changing drug markets would be a game-changer for preventing overdoses in the community.
"They inform us of new harmful substances before someone takes them, which are currently discovered through pathology tests taken in emergency departments or morgues," she said.
"If we can prevent overdoses from happening in the first place, then we can ease the pressures on our emergency health system for all Victorians."
Looking to other parts of Australia
The ACT after they were successful in reducing harm during a trial at a Canberra music festival five years ago.
An of the trial found all service users who were informed that their substances contained n-ethyl-pentylone, an NPS with serious risks, discarded the drugs.
Queensland will be the first state to launch a drug-checking service in 2024.
They will be operating two confidential walk-in drug-checking sites available to people of any age, including under-18s, without being reported to police.
Mobile sites will also be located at music festivals and sporting events, offering information about harm reduction and bins to discard drugs they do not want.
What's being done overseas?
A global report into harm reduction services around the world verified drug checking services have been rolled out in at least 28 countries.
In 2021, New Zealand passed legislation that made drug-checking services legal after they were proven to intercept potentially dangerous substances before they were consumed.
Nick Wallis from Harm Reduction Victoria's DanceWize program said drug-checking sites can help Australians make the right choices.
"This service will empower people to make more informed choices about their drug use which we know will reduce harm," he said.
"And if it can save one life, then it's an important step."
