Author: Gideon Warhaft

This is the spot where Professor Mal McLeod goes quietly about the business of saving lives in the Canberra region, though the analytical chemist is slow to embrace the lifesaver tag. Read more

In just over a year of operation, CanTEST has checked 1,250 samples of recreational drugs like ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and cocaine, as well as harder drugs of dependence like heroin and ice. Read more

Nearly a thousand people have come forward to have their drugs tested and the results suggest a host of dangerous supplements and contamination may be found in the country’s party drugs. Watch video

President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia Gino Vumbaca said the organisation had offered to run free pill testing trials, both during last month’s pride month or at a future music festival, which were not responded to favourably. Read more

CanTEST, which has been operating for about a year in Canberra’s CBD, is free and open to anyone who wants to know the contents of their pills or drugs. Read more

A new La Trobe University study shows majority support for drug checking services with 56 per cent of the over 18,000 respondents supporting related policies. Read more

Click here to sign up for Australia’s first dedicated harm reduction online education course (HRA Online Course Announcement – June 2023).

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has backed calls for drug testing services to save lives at risk. Read more

The new service is now available at community clinics in Wellington and Christchurch five days a week, and four days a week in Dunedin. The clinics are provided by the Needle Exchange Services Trust (NEST) and are the only regular scheduled drug checking service that’s available multiple days of the week. Read more

Canberra’s drug checking site has now tested 1000 substances. The harm reduction service reported a majority of users disposing of their illicit drugs when testing found they contained unexpected and dangerous substances. ABC’s Adam Shirley spoke with Stephanie Stephens, the Director of Service Delivery at Directions Health. Watch video