Drugchecking-Initiative Berlin-Brandenburg

What is drugchecking?

Thursday, 24 February 2011 14:34

Under the term " Drugchecking" one understands a strategy of the clearing-up within the prevention work, for humans decided illegal substances (" Drugs") to consume. Since these substances are acted exclusively on the black market, they are in the consequence also subjected to no control for their actual ingredients, as it is prescribed by the setting giver for example for food.

The Drugchecking-Initiative Berlin-Brandenburg

In mid-2007, a team was formed made up of representatives of drug work, public administration and policy in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. The team was founded on the basic understanding that drugchecking can contribute significantly to the protection of the health of illicit drug users.  The members prioritize the development and implementation of drugchecking services as their goal for changes in drug policy and thus also drafted a corresponding paper in November 2007 <http://www.drugchecking.eu/pdf/2008-12-09_AGDC-Eckpapier.pdf> .

In mid-2008, the Drugchecking Initiative Berlin-Brandenburg emerged from this team, which combined initiatives and organizations from the areas of drug work and addiction medicine, Aids prevention, health promotion and policy. The aim of this initiative was to make the use of drugchecking as a health promotion strategy possible again. It is agreed that information about drug consumption patterns and trends acquired during drugchecking programs should not be used to pursue repressive strategies, but should rather solely serve to protect consumer health.