Bid submitted for Aberdeen drug-checking facility

Aberdeen could be the first Scottish city to operate a drug-checking facility after an application was submitted to the UK Government.

The Home Office Licence application was submitted by Alcohol and Drugs Action (ADA) as part of the Aberdeen Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP).

The project aims to save lives and reduce harm by testing illegal substances.

If successful, drug checks will be available for adults aged over 18, targeted at individuals who are dependent on or experience significant harm from drugs.

Support workers would use small testing machines to examine the content of the illegal drugs.

After the test is complete, samples would then be sent to a national testing laboratory for a more in-depth analysis.

Drugs and alcohol policy minister Christina McKelvie said: "I welcome the announcement that Aberdeen has submitted their licence application for a drug-checking facility to the Home Office.

"We are committed to delivering drug-checking facilities which will allow people to get substances tested for content whilst receiving tailored harm reduction advice alongside the results, and will enable services to respond faster to emerging trends.

"We continue to work with partners to implement these facilities across all our pilot cities as they also prepare to submit applications."

The testing centre would run alongside ADA's Enhanced Injecting Equipment Provision programme which provides sterile needles and syringes to drug users.

Reducing harm by testing illegal substances

The project is hoped to provide an opportunity for immediate conversations for those using the service to enable them to make more informed decisions.

ADA's direct access services manager, Simon Pringle, said: "Our main aim is to reduce harm associated with drug use for people at the highest risk of harm, overdose and death.

"Being able to test substances on site will give us an opportunity to have a conversation with service users about what they're using and what's actually in these substances, so they can make more informed choices."

ADA is part of the Aberdeen Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) and is working with the NHS, Scottish Government and ADP partners in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow to evaluate the impact of drug checking on reducing drug-related harm and inform future policy.

NHS Grampian public health consultant John Mooney said: "This drug-checking project will provide a level of testing that's really valuable in terms of drugs surveillance and preventing harm at a time when there are substances circulating which are 50 times more powerful than heroin.

"It's one of our key harm reduction measures - also including supervised drug consumption and equipping people with the opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone.

"Greater knowledge about the composition of street drugs will help people using the service better understand the risks, and in the longer term improve policies for managing drug-related issues."