Health charity calls for free drug safety testing

A health education charity has called for the availability of free drug safety testing after the death of two teenagers at a Plymouth nightclub, last Saturday. The teenagers died from a suspected overdose of the drug MDMA.

After the tragedy, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) issued a statement recommending the availability of ‘free and anonymous drug safety testing services’ like those already trialled in several European countries. The RSPH is an independent health education charity and is the longest-established public health service in the world.

While it is uncertain that the teenagers overdosed on MDMA, use of the drug can be very dangerous. It is rarely sold illegally in pure form for recreational use and is often mixed with other synthetic drugs, such as PMA, with deadly results.

The RSPH said, “We do not yet know whether the substance in question was indeed MDMA, whether it was adulterated with any other substances, or how strong it was – and neither did these young men when they took it. It is often that ignorance that can kill.”

The charity went on to state that many European countries have provided anonymous and free drug safety test kits for years. RSPH insisted that access to such resources decreases the risk of harm for recreational drug users, because they have more information about the substances they intend to take, and can therefore make more of an informed decision. Even though drug safety kits are on trial at some British music festivals, RSPH called for greater urgency in light of the tragic events in Plymouth.