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The first home office-authorized drug control service will allow users to test their illicit substances without fear of being arrested, as part of a move that could be rolled out nationwide it was shown that he was saving lives.
The one-year pilot project, which had a smooth launch in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, last Friday but which begins seriously this week, will allow anyone over the age of 18 to travel to the clinic with his medication, led by a charity. Addaction. The content test will take about 10 minutes, during which time the user will complete a short questionnaire to allow them to personalize the risk reduction tips.
"It's about saving lives," said Roz Gittins, director of pharmacy at Addaction. "We know that people take drugs. We do not have to close our eyes, but we should not judge people or bury our heads in the sand. It is our job to do everything we can to help people make informed choices about the risks they are taking. Checking the content of medication is a sensible and progressive way to do it. If people know what's in something, they can be better informed about the potential danger of taking it. "
The launch of this service comes as users are increasingly worried about buying drugs containing other potentially toxic or potent substances. Cocaine containing opioid synthetic fentanyl has been badociated with a number of deaths, while warnings have also been warned against selling super powerful ecstasy at several music festivals.
The Loop, a charity dedicated to drug safety, is already testing drug tests at music festivals and has conducted a similar exercise at a pop-up site in downtown Bristol. But the new project, planned for three years, is the first to be authorized by the government.
"This is a Home Office license, but on top of that, we have a local agreement in place with the police," said Gittins. "So people will not be stopped and searched to enter or leave buildings because they support what is happening." The pilot project is conducted in partnership with Hertfordshire University, which provides test equipment.
"The work done by The Loop already shows that people who have had their substances tested often decide not to take them, or take less than expected, resulting in fewer health problems," added Gittins.
Fiona Measham, Professor of Criminology at the University of Durham and Director of the Loop, said, "Pilot trials over three summers and one year of testing in inner cities have shown that drug safety testing can identify substances of concern, productively engage service users and reduce drug-related harm. "
All groups involved in the pilot project insisted that they did not tolerate the use of illegal drugs in any way. Gittins denied that the test service would have a negative impact on people living near the site and said the Bristol Downtown pilot project had been completed without incident.
"On the contrary, it should be a positive step to help reduce the harms badociated with drugs. It's not just people's lives, it's also a potential cost increase for health services, for example, locally. If we can help prevent this from happening, that's another positive thing. "
Although coastal cities have become drug-related "foci of death", the Office for National Statistics data explain that Weston-super-Mare was chosen for the pilot project because it was relatively small, which made it ideal for an experimental site.
Few countries in the world offer government-approved drug testing – the Netherlands is a notable exception. Its drug information and monitoring system, founded in 1992, has been called the "first pill testing initiative in Europe" and is an official branch of the public health system. Government-supported trials are also under way in Australia.
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