CanTEST Health & Drug Checking Service, also known as pill testing, is a free and confidential health and harm reduction service in Canberra, ACT. Anyone can access the service to speak to one of our health professionals and/or to have your pills or drugs tested.

CanTEST’s team include Chemical Analysts, Registered Nurses and qualified harm reduction workers. The CanTEST team are supported by Chemistry Lead, Professor Malcolm McLeod and Clinical Lead, Dr David Caldicott.

CanTEST is a completely free service, delivered by Directions Health Services in partnership with CAHMA and Pill Testing Australia, funded by ACT Health.

The first six months of the CanTEST service was intended as a pilot to develop and trial Australia’s first fixed-site drug checking and health service. The service has been independently evaluated by the Australian National University.

You can view both the Interim Report and the Final Report for this evaluation here.

Where and when can I have my drugs tested?

Thursdays from 3pm-6pm Fridays from 6pm-9pm Ground Floor of the City Community Health Centre at 1 Moore Street, Canberra City ACT 2600

Does it cost anything?

CanTEST services are free.

How long does it take?

Testing can be as quick as 30 minutes, but may take longer depending on the substance/s and testing methods.

What kind of drugs can be tested?

Pills, capsules, powders, crystals, liquids and blotters can all be tested. Some substances aren’t able to be tested at CanTEST – we can’t test organic matter (like cannabis) and oil-based liquids (like some steroids).

How are drugs tested?

You provide a very small scraping/sample of your drug to put through the testing equipment. CanTEST use Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), which identifies drugs from their infrared spectrum as well as ultra-performance liquid chromatography-photo-diode-array (UPLC-PDA) to separate compounds, then identify and quantify them from their UV absorbance. Once the testing is complete, CanTEST will provide you with the results, provide harm reduction information and discuss any other questions you may have.

How much should I bring?

The chemical analyst at CanTEST will use a tiny sample for testing (weighing only milligrams). Please only bring small quantities of drugs to CanTEST – as little of the substance as is practical. Don’t bring any more than 1 pill/capsule, 1 blotter or 1g of powder per sample for testing.

Why should I get my drugs tested?

Illicit drug composition is varied and highly unpredictable. Makers of illicit drugs often combine them with other substances or substitute drugs that are more dangerous. CanTEST can help you to make a more informed decision about whether you still want to take the drug and how you manage the risks.

What about privacy and confidentiality?

CanTEST is a strictly confidential service. If you’d like your drugs tested, you’ll be asked to sign a waiver that states you understand that no drug consumption is safe. ID will never be requested at CanTEST and you don’t need a Medicare card. The waiver will be stored securely in a database that cannot be accessed by anyone outside the service. All information from the testing will be completely de-identified and stored in a separate database that does not link to your name or the waiver.

Should I be worried about the police catching me visiting CanTEST?

ACT Police are committed to initiatives that improve community safety and support the ACT Government’s commitment to the principles of harm minimisation and health protection initiatives.

CanTEST is inside the City Community Health Centre which also contains several other health services. No-one knows which service you could be attending inside the building.

Click here for more info on ACT Policing and CanTEST.

Drug checking is not enough alone.

Drug checking does not make illicit drugs safe to use. Drug checking/pill testing services operate on a harm reduction basis. Illicit drugs are inherently unsafe to use and testing can’t certify that you won’t suffer an adverse reaction by taking drugs. Have a chat with one of CanTEST’s health professionals or harm reduction workers. This will enable you to make informed decisions about your health.