Australia's first illegal pill-testing site will remain open for another three years under new funding by the ACT government.
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The territory government has extended funding of the CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service by $1.8m until June 2027
The service opened its doors in July 2022 under a 6-month pilot program and has proven successful in harm reduction measures with ACT Health Minister Emma Davidson saying the drug 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.
In its first two years of operation, CanTEST tested more than 2,600 samples, with more than 10 per cent of samples being voluntarily discarded by people following testing.
The service delivered more than 3,600 health, alcohol and drug interventions to the community in its first year.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the ACT was leading the country in drug harm reduction.
"The ACT continues to demonstrate its leadership as a progressive jurisdiction, and underscores our commitment to public health and safety," Mr Barr said.
The ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia to decriminalise certain illegal drugs, including marijuana.
CanTEST provides chemical analysis of drugs and pills to help people better understand the potentially dangerous substances in illegal drugs, as well as drop-in nurse consultations.
The service has contributed to information about drugs circulating in the Canberra community, most recently issuing a critical community notice after discovering synthetic opioids.
In 2018, the ACT became the first jurisdiction in Australia to trial pill testing at the Groovin the Moo music festival and has continued to lead the charge in drug harm reduction services.
After a successful trial at the Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival, Queensland became the first state to open a fixed-site pill testing service just north of Brisbane.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has floated the idea of a year-long pill-testing trial at music festivals, however, the proposal is yet to be confirmed.
Australian Associated Press
