The first fixed pill testing centre in Australia has now tested over 1,000 samples in less than one year of operation.
The centre in Canberra offers a drop-in service for people wanting to understand what’s in the drugs they are taking.
They are tested at the Australian National University, and the ACT Government supports the service.
Results from the Canberra pill testing centre
Samples believed to be MDMA were submitted to the centre 304 times. About 80% of the samples had MDMA in them.
Some false samples of MDMA actually had ketamine, ice, or caffeine.
Ketamine
Ketamine was the second-most tested drug (129 samples). The drug was found in 59% of samples brought to the centre.
Some false ketamine samples had cocaine and MDMA instead.
Cocaine
Cocaine was found in 80% of the 114 samples believed to be cocaine.
Almost 92% of ice samples (37 total) had the substance, but no amphetamine (speed) samples actually had the drug in them.
40 samples of fentanyl were handed to the centre, but none actually contained fentanyl. It did not specify what was found instead.
About 12% of the drugs tested were thrown away.
The big picture on the Canberra pill testing results
The latest data only accounts for the centre’s first nine months of work.
It was initially only scheduled to be open for six months, but was extended to August 2023 by the ACT Government after it received positive reviews in an interim report.
