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IThis is the last day of a trial month of the first UK home office-approved drug testing service and, in a Weston-Super-Mare clinic, the door of an unused office used as a makeshift laboratory bears the words: "
Behind her, a sample of drugs deposited a few moments before is controlled by a small team led by Roz Gittins, Addaction Clinic's director of pharmacy, and by Dr. Amira Guirguis, Senior Project Researcher and Senior Lecturer at the University. from Hertfordshire.
"We take the minimum necessary to do the test," says Gittins, who has had to navigate heavy paperwork to adapt to the lawsuit in the context of legislation that, by its nature, is restrictive in nature. drug. "We are not able to return samples – this counts for the supply."
Launched last month after almost three years of planning, the pilot service allows anyone over the age of 18 to have a sample of their drugs badyzed anonymously and to receive expert advice. This marks a milestone for the harm reduction movement as well as a significant shift in government support for this approach.
In addition to providing users with the information they need to make an informed decision to take a drug if a dangerous contaminant is detected – such as fentanyl, an opioid responsible for increasing the number of deaths among consumers heroin – the service can trigger an alert. warn others of a dangerous lot.
"It's about saving lives," said Gittins.
The public is increasingly approving drug testing, largely thanks to the high-profile coverage of test tents in music festivals and downtowns led by The Loop, which has provided support for the drug testing. 39 Addaction team and who is at the forefront of drug testing in the UK 2016
Previous services were temporary and operated without Home Office approval; rather, they depended on the cooperation of local police chiefs. The one-year license granted to Addon Clinic in Weston-Super-Mare is a strong indicator that drug testing may soon become a permanent facility in UK towns and villages.
"If Addaction can do it, others can," says Gittins, adding that funding was the only barrier to continued service.
Until last year, the Home Office had shown little enthusiasm on the part of the public for drug testing, retaining a hard line on the dangers of drug use, while postponing decision-making to police chiefs.
But in 2018, in a growing debate over drug-related deaths and the deaths of two young people at the Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth, the government seemed to be changing course. Drug Minister Victoria Atkins said it would not be an obstacle to testing, and Police Minister Nick Hurd said it was "the right thing to do."
Last February, the government announced that it had licensed Addaction. In the same month, it launched a drug policy review that would examine the health and social harm badociated with drug use, as well as evidence-based approaches to preventing and reducing drug use.
Fiona Measham, Professor of Criminology at the University of Durham, co-founded The Loop in 2013 and began offering a test service at festivals in 2016, as well as testing in the city center during tests conducted at the University of Durham. 39, last year. The Loop is currently applying for its own Home Office license.
"Four years ago, the UK had never been tested for drug safety," says Measham. "… we are now in a position where this is increasingly part of festivals and will be increasingly accepted in downtown drug services."
While festivals are an accessible starting point for drug testing, community services are "more inclusive and therefore potentially more effective," she said.
Inspector Mark Runacres, head of drug strategy at Avon and Somerset police, said that while applying the law when necessary, they consider that education and harm reduction are the best options.
"We are convinced that this approach will help those who are determined to take drugs to protect themselves, to inform them of health hazards and to remind them of the criminal consequences they may face," he said.
Leap UK, a group of law enforcement representatives who advocate for a change in the punitive drug policy in the UK, believes that drug testing is an "absolute necessity" and that the support of the police in this regard is essential.
In addition to providing information about contaminants, the tests provide a point of contact between support services and users. Those who come for testing at the Addaction Clinic, which includes occasional and regular users, are asked to complete a questionnaire in the meantime. Once the tests are complete, the team provides personalized advice on how to take the medication more safely and directs them further to additional support, if needed.
"Someone came to test after hearing about news service," says Gittins. "We talked to her and she had no idea of the risk of a blood-borne virus. She did not know either that there was a drug addiction center here. Now, if she decides that she needs our help, she knows where we are.
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