Canberra's pill testing service will have a more certain future

The service has been operating out of a building in Canberra's city centre for the past two years.

Originally a six-month trial, the CanTEST service has been repeatedly granted extended government funding.

The service provides a chemical analysis of drugs and pills to detect whether there are unknown and potentially dangerous substances.

The service has tested more than 2600 samples since it has opened. An evaluation of the centre found more than 10 per cent of drugs tested were binned after participants found out what was in their drugs.

The service previously had funding until the end of the year but the upcoming ACT budget will provide $1.8 million to keep the site operating until June 2027.

The service is run by Direction Health Services in partnership with Pill Testing Australia and Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy.

Population Health Minister Emma Davidson said the funding showed a commitment from the ACT government to treat substance use as a health issue and not a criminal issue.

"Pill testing literally saves lives. People take drugs and that's why we continue to invest in harm reduction measures such as pill testing, so they have better health outcomes," she said.

"CanTEST is proven to drive healthier choices across our community. One in ten substances have been discarded once tested, people have a better understanding of what they are using and may being less likely to take the substance if it does not contain what they expected."

Chief Minister Andrew Barr pointed to the service's role in helping to safeguard the community, referencing synthetic opioids discovered in a sample earlier this year.

"Earlier this year, CanTEST issued a crucial community notice via social media after discovering synthetic opioids being checked - potentially saving lives," he said.

"This incident highlights CanTEST's crucial role in safeguarding our community and the need for extending funding."