Experts warn Victoria needs to urgently adopt drug testing or risk more overdoses

The Andrews government is being urged to follow the lead of New Zealand and open up drug testing services to combat ­potentially deadly synthetic substances.

A new report has highlighted Australia’s ‘unpredictable and unregulated’ illicit drug markets.

The Victorian government needs to launch its own drug checking services, with experts warning the state is “lagging behind” other jurisdictions.

The calls come as a new report – released on Monday – found the trial of Australia’s first drug checking service, CanTEST in Canberra, helped 437 people reduce their risk of an overdose or poisoning through drug tests.

Of the more than 600 samples examined, just over half were actually found to be the drug that service users had expected.

The Herald Sun last month revealed experts had called for a Victorian-based service to counter a steep rise in drugs circulating in the community that contain ­potentially deadly synthetic substances.

In 2021, the coroner recommended the Victorian government adopt a checking system to tell users what substances their recreational drugs contained.

In 2021, the coroner recommended the Victorian government adopt a checking system to tell users what substances their recreational drugs contained.

RMIT senior research fellow Monica Barratt, who gave evidence at the coronial inquest that led to the recommendation, said Victoria is “beginning to lag behind other jurisdictions”.

“Canberra, and our near neighbours, New Zealand, have successful drug checking services, and Queensland has announced it will support and fund drug checking in the near future,” she said.

“Instead, we find out about local drug trends after the harms have occurred: through analysis of overdose presentations at hospitals, at the morgue or through police seizures.”

RMIT senior lecturer Peta Malins said Australia’s illicit drug markets are “unpredictable and unregulated”. Picture: Joel Carrett

RMIT senior lecturer in criminology and justice studies Peta Malins said the report highlighted Australia’s “unpredictable and unregulated” illicit drug markets.

“Victorian Coronial data released last month shows we now have the highest tally of deaths involving novel psychoactive substances on record,” Dr Malins said.

“How high does this number have to be before the government takes action?”

Acting Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association chief Scott Drummond said the services facilitate brief interventions and information to people who may regularly use drugs on how to reduce associated harm.

“These services not only provide the life saving benefit of providing individuals and the community information about hazardous substances, but by changing substance use behaviour they reduce the demand on our overburdened and stretched acute health services such as emergency departments,” he said.