Drug checking pilot program launches at Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre

[Pelican Press 0]

***** checking pilot program launches at Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre

The first ***** checking pilot in NSW will begin operating in an inner-city suburb from Monday, ahead of a highly anticipated ***** Summit promised for later this year.

The program, colloquially known as pill testing, will run one day a week for about four months at the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Kings Cross, and will take samples from 100 volunteers.

Participants in the pilot must already be registered to use MSIC services, which is run by Uniting NSW. ACT, and provide a small quantity of their pre-obtained drugs for checking.

A small portion of the user’s drugs, in this case *******, are weighed before the testing. Supplied/ Uniting Credit: Supplied

The drugs are then submitted for analysis. Supplied/ Uniting Credit: Supplied

They will then be given an analysis of their substance, which includes details of the mix of drugs present, the purity of the substance, plus targeted harm reduction advice. 

The samples will also be sent off to the NSW Health Pathology Forensic & Analytical Science Service for further confirmatory testing, and analysis of the ***** make up.

No legislation, or government approval was required for the pilot program to commence, as it is a research project, however the program has received Human Research Ethics Committee approval from both the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD).

MSIC’s medical director Marianne Jauncey said the main illicit drugs which come through the centre were methamphetamine, *******, followed by a “range of other substances”.

She says the study will analyse the interest, feasibility and efficacy of testing, and whether ***** checking is able to positively influence people’s behaviour around ***** use.

For example, whether the detection of other substances will stop users from taking the drugs.

“It will also improve monitoring of the street ***** marketplace so that unexpected or highly dangerous substances may be identified earlier, ideally before people use them,” Dr Jauncey said.

“NSW has justification for concern, with ***** markets being increasingly unpredictably post Covid.”

She hopes the program will bolster the argument for ***** checking, ahead of a yet-to-be-announced ***** Summit, which NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has promised for later this year.

“The reality is people do use drugs, people do inject drugs and people do **** as a result, and so anything we can to reduce the harm has got to be a good thing,” she said.

Currently CanTEST in Canberra is the only government-funded fixed ***** testing site in Australia. NCA NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia

The NSW government has deterred further policy announcements around ***** reform until the ***** Summit, however Health Minister Ryan Park has historically said pill testing wasn’t part of the government’s reform agenda, and maintains programs at music festivals was not a “silver bullet” against deaths.

“I don’t think we should have a view … that pill testing is some silver bullet that will protect everybody who goes to (a music festival),” Mr Park told a budget estimates committee in February.

Uniting NSW. ACT’s general manager of advocacy Emma Maiden said she believe NSW had a “narrow view” on education, which creates missed opportunities for “meaningful engagement” around harm reduction.

Ahead of last year’s summer music festival season, Uniting joined a host of other advocacy groups in calling on NSW Premier Chris Minns to implement pill testing measures, however this was rejected.

“NSW was a leader 25 years ago, I think it’s fair to say we’re not a leader anymore,” Ms Maiden said.

“In Australia and around the world, we are seeing governments take different attitudes in ***** laws in order to reduce harm.”

Nationally, the *********** Capital Territory (ACT) is the only jurisdiction which has a fix ***** testing facility, however the Queensland government has announced a fixed site in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills area set to launch later this month.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Lifestyle,News,Australia,Lifestyle,Fitness,Lifestyle,Health & Wellbeing,News,News,NSW News,News,TAS News
#***** #checking #pilot #program #launches #Sydneys #Medically #Supervised #Injecting #Centre

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up