Drug checking is a free, legal and confidential service that helps you find out what’s really in your drugs.
Drug checking staff and volunteers use a scientific machine called a spectrometer to do this, along with reagent tests (chemicals that change colour when they react with certain drugs) and test strips.
You’ll then get your results, and drug checkers will have a chat with you about ways to stay safer. They can also answer your questions about drugs.
How could it be helpful?
In an illegal drug market, there’s always a risk that the drugs you buy are not what you think they are. Many drugs in New Zealand are mixed with other drugs or sold as something they aren’t. For example, some MDMA we check has turned out to be synthetic cathinones (bath salts) – a different group of drugs.
If you don’t know what you’re taking, you could end up taking too much, or having an unpleasant and unexpected experience. Worst case, you could get sick or die.
Drug checking allows you to talk through what you're doing and plan how you can be safer. It can also connect you in with other resources if you are looking for further support
How to access?
Find your nearest clinic on our calendar and show up during opening hours. The friendly staff will guide you through the process. They only need a small amount of your substance – about the size of a matchstick head. There may be a short wait time, however the process is fairly quick (about 10 – 15 minutes per drug brought in for testing).
The service is completely free and confidential. By law, a drug checker cannot charge you to use the service, and they cannot record any identifiable information about you. Your presence at a drug checking clinic cannot be used against you in court, and it’s written in the police manual that they are not allowed to disrupt drug checking services.