UK's first drug-testing clinic approved where users can check safety of illegal substances

'This is about saving lives. We know people take drugs. We don’t have to condone it but nor should we judge people or bury our heads in the sand,' says charity Addaction

Tuesday 26 February 2019 16:06 GMT

The launch of the service comes amid growing concern about the circulation of drugs containing toxic chemicals and dangerously potent substances (Getty)

The government has granted the first licence for a drug-testing clinic where users can submit illegal substances to be checked without fear of arrest.

A pilot project aimed at saving users’ lives was launched this week in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, after the charity Addaction secured a year-long licence from the Home Office.

The service will be trialled for a month and could be rolled out elsewhere in the country if successful.

Anyone aged 18 or over will be able to anonymously submit a sample of a substance for analysis. Tests will take about 10 minutes, during which time users will complete a short questionnaire to allow clinic staff to provide tailored harm reduction advice.

The launch of the service comes amid growing concern about the circulation of drugs containing toxic chemicals and dangerously potent substances.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Show all 10

1/10World's 10 deadliest street drugs

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Whoonga

Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africa’s high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death

Getty

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Scopolamine

Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Heroin

Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the world’s oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Crack cocaine

Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980’s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Crystal meth

Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

AH-7921

AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the ‘legal heroin’. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Flakka

Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the mind’s serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Bath salts

Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly aren’t the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the ‘zombification’ of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Purple Drank

One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Krokodil

Krokodil is Russia’s secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at £20 a gram while heroin is sold for £60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

A number of deaths have been linked to cocaine contaminated with the opiate painkiller fentanyl, while the parents of teenagers killed by high-strength ecstasy last year called for drug-testing facilities to be set up to prevent "needless" deaths.

“This is about saving lives,” said Roz Gittins, Addaction’s director of pharmacy. “We know people take drugs. We don’t have to condone it but nor should we judge people or bury our heads in the sand.

“It’s our job to do whatever we can to help people make informed choices about the risks they’re taking. Checking the content of drugs is a sensible and progressive way to do that.

“If people know what’s in something, they can be better informed about the potential harm of taking it.”

Pharmacists from the University of Hertfordshire will analyse the drug samples submitted at the clinic, with on-site Addaction workers then speaking to users about the results. Avon and Somerset Police have agreed not to stop and search people as they access the service.

Clinic staff have been trained by The Loop, a charity which has run similar drug-testing laboratories at festivals since 2016.

About half of the 8,000 people who had drugs tested at seven festivals last year said they would take smaller quantities after learning of their strength. Another 10 per cent chose to hand their drugs over to police.

The Loop has also previously set up pop-up clinics in Bristol and Durham, but the new service is the first to be licensed by the Home Office, which has long resisted calls to move away from criminalising drug users and embrace harm reduction strategies.

Fiona Measham, director of The Loop and professor of criminology at Durham university, said: “Three summers piloting festival testing and a year piloting city centre testing has shown that drug safety testing can identify substances of concern, productively engage with service users and reduce drug-related harm.”

Roz Gittins said the service was "about saving lives" (Addaction)

Addaction had been in talks with the government about setting up the clinic for nearly a year. The charity and Hertfordshire university are jointly funding the project, and chose Weston-Super-Mare for the trial because it is a relatively small town.

Ms Gittins said she hoped the pilot could lead to similar services being set up elsewhere in the country, possibly with financial backing from the government.

"If this is something that people would like to roll out further, inevitably there will be a question about where funding for that comes from," she added.

A drug-testing service in the Netherlands receives £1m annual public funding.

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A Home Office spokesman said: “The government’s approach remains clear: we must prevent illicit drug use in our communities and help those dependent on drugs to recover.

“Anyone interested in lawfully undertaking activities which include the possession, supply or production of controlled drugs (including potentially the service of drug testing) needs to apply for a licence in the normal way. They would then be subject to the usual considerations, visits and fees.

“A Home Office licence was issued so approved research could be undertaken in Addaction’s clinic in Somerset in accordance with the terms of that licence.”

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