A new drug-checking service has launched in Nelson, offering free and confidential testing to help recreational drug users better understand what substances they are taking and reduce potential harm.
The service is operated by the Nelson Injecting Community Health Enterprise (NICHE) and delivered by DISC Trust. It is funded by Health New Zealand and regulated by the Ministry of Health.
DISC Trust national harm reduction lead Jason George has been travelling from Christchurch to help establish the service while local staff are trained.
He explains the service uses FTIR spectrometry to test tiny samples of substances and identify their contents.
“People can come have them tested on a spectrometer to see if it’s what it's supposed to be, or if it’s cut with anything that could be harmful.”
The technology works by shining infrared light onto a sample and measuring the reaction of chemicals. Each substance produces a unique pattern, similar to a fingerprint, which is compared against a database to identify the drug.
“We see a lot of MDMA, cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine and LSD. People using steroids also use the service, but we see quite a range,” he says.
“When someone comes into the service, they can have a chat, we tell them how the service works and do the testing while they’re here, so they can leave with the result.”
Jason says DISC Trust already operates ongoing clinics in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, but there had previously been no regular drug-checking service in the Top of the South.
The Nelson clinic began offering weekly operations earlier this year, following the success of monthly pop-up clinics last year, which attracted good attendance.
Jason says many people are surprised to learn that drug checking is legal in New Zealand and protected under the law.
“It’s quite regulated. There are lots of compliance measures to make sure that drug-checking services are safe and act responsibly.”
He says the service is important because illicit drugs are often not what people believe they have purchased.
“There’s quite a bit of drugs out there that are sold but turn out not to be what people expect.
“When you have a black market, which isn’t regulated, you don’t always know what you’re getting. We find a range of things that people aren’t expecting… sometimes it’s different drugs, sometimes it’s just that people cut them with things to make more profit.”
Jason says the service aims to help people make safer and more informed decisions, and large events also provide a good opportunity for people to access the service and learn more about safer drug use.
“If you come into a service like this, you can be more confident that what you’re taking is actually what you think it is… and you might learn something.”
DISC Trust also offers free and confidential screening for Hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis, and the peer-based service encourages people to pop in, ask questions, and see how it works.
“We’re getting more inquiries now that word is starting to get around, so we’re pretty optimistic that it'll be a success.”
For more information, go to www.disctrust.co.nz/drug-checking
