Offers drug-checking

Drug-Checking in Germany

Currently, no services allowing a comprehensive analysis of illegally acquired psychoactive substances exist in Germany. In order for individuals to test illegal substances, they must bring samples of the substance to pharmacies and pay a fee to receive what is often an incomplete and purely qualitative result concerning the active ingredients. A quantitative analysis (currently available at the Central laboratory for German pharmacists) is too time consuming and costly to be used as a low threshold instrument for health protection. Moreover, the counselling aims and options in pharmacies are not geared toward harm reduction for drug users. At dance events, illegally acquired pills and powders are tested using Marquis reagen (rapid test procedure). However, this analysis also does not provide enough information about which substances are present in what quantity in the tested samples.

Drug-Checking in Switzerland

In Zurich, Streetwork Zurich‘s Drug Information Center (DIZ) <saferparty.ch> offers substance analyses and counsel on a weekly basis. The consumers are issued codes, which they can then use to request the results of the analysis within a few days of sumbission. In the canton of Bern, Streetwork Biel <http://www.contactnetz.ch/de/streetwork_biel__nightlife_content---1--1086--1468.html> in in cooperation with the Canton Pharmaceutical Administration Bern and the project AwareDanceCulture <http://www.awaredance.ch/drug-checking.html> specifically carry out drugchecking at dance events using a mobile lab. Streetwork Zurich, in cooperation with the Canton Pharmaceutical Administration Bern, also regularly carry out analyses at local partys. In contrast, Eve & Rave Switzerland‘s <http://www.eve-rave.ch/> mobile drugchecking services have been suspended since 2007, initially this was because their authorization expired. Whether the services will be resumed is unclear at this point in time.

Drug-Checking in Austria

The Vienna Project CheckIt! <http://www.checkyourdrugs.at/> offers chemical analyses of substance samples at some dance events, using a mobile lab belonging to the Vienna General Hospital (HPLC technique, toxicological analysis system Bio-Rad Remedi Drug Profiling System and in the future also liquid chromatography coupled with mass specroscopy [LC/MS]). The service can be accessed anonymously and free of charge. The results are announced within half an hour of sample submission – it will often be available within a few minutes. A few days after the event, the results of the analyses are published on the project’s homepage.

Drug-Checking in Netherlands

In the Netherlands, beyond the project coordinated by the Trimbos Institute <http://www.trimbos.nl/> Drug Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) <http://www.trimbos.nl/default5260.html> , there is a network of collection points for stationary drugchecking in around 30 cities <http://www.drugs-test.nl/default10949.html> . In return for a small fee, up to three substance samples can be submitted in the framework of a personal consultation. These can include pills and powder, but also (suspected) psychoactive mushrooms, hash and marijuana, as well as raw materials used for the production of illegal substances. In 2007 alone, 500 pills were analyzed. So called monitoring studies are closely connected with drugchecking services; thus, here findings about consumption behavior and drug trends are collected by surveying drug users. The results of these studies form the basis of prevention strategies.