Berlin Launches Free and Anonymous Drug Checking Service

Berlin residents can now add a safety check to their party plans as a drug-testing project received the green light. Free and anonymous, the Drug Checking initiative will test the composition and purity of substances like cannabis, ecstasy, speed, cocaine, and LSD. 

According to a rbb report, Berliners can have their drugs tested legally in three drop-off locations. These include addiction counseling initiatives Fixpunkt and Vista and the counseling center for queer communities. Employees will explain the results and give further anonymous counseling. 

Individuals will receive the results three days post-submission.

The project, spearheaded by The State Institute for Forensic and Social Science, has been implemented after spending years in the making, as reported by rbb. 

Berlin’s drug checking service aims to deliver early detection of emerging consumer trends and sniff out tainted black market products. According to experts, this could play a crucial role in preventing overdoses. 

“Drug checking is successful in our opinion if we can avoid health damage and if we reach drug users,” project director Tibor Harrach told rbb. 

This initiative builds upon Berlin’s relationship with drug testing, a practice that emerged during Love Parade’s heyday in the mid-90s. It also follows Berghain‘s efforts to promote harm-reduction practices for club-goers in response to drug and needle spiking reports.

A study from The Loop and Liverpool University found that on-site drug testing at festivals doesn’t just blow up balloons. Instead, it contributes to a safer festival environment, doesn’t encourage drug use, and could mean fewer festival fatalities headlines.