RACGP: Drug testing services save lives

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has called on the Queensland Government to reverse course and back the state’s drug testing sites. 

It comes following reports today of the Queensland drug testing service CheQpoint detecting a third sample of the powerful and deadly synthetic opioid nitazene, which is even stronger than fentanyl and hundreds of times more potent than heroin. CheQpoint will shut its doors tomorrow after the Queensland Government opted to close two drug testing sites.  

RACGP President, Dr Michael Wright, urged the Queensland Government to reconsider closing the sites. 

“Drug testing services like CheQpoint save lives, and I call on the Government to support and fund these vital detection services,” he said. 

“It was only a year ago that the College welcomed the then Palaszczuk Government making Queensland the first Australian state or territory to introduce an ongoing drug testing service, and we urged other jurisdictions to follow suit. Since then, the service has tested over 1,000 drug samples and supported nearly 700 people with free and confidential health advice. No type of illicit drug use is ever safe, but we must follow the evidence. All governments should listen to the experts and put in place common sense measures to reduce drug-related harm and save lives.” 

RACGP Queensland Chair, Dr Cathryn Hester, backed the President’s calls. 

“The timing couldn’t be worse,” she said.  

“The new synthetic opioid nitazene, which is even more potent than fentanyl, has hit Australia’s shores and is often being sold to people as a legitimate pharmaceutical. Nitazene has been detected three times since November last year, and I strongly suspect we’re only scratching the surface.  

“Unlike other states and territories, Queensland doesn’t have an overdose monitoring system or a public drug alert network. I fear that once these drug testing services end, we will see more overdoses because the people taking them, including young people with their whole lives ahead of them, simply don’t know what they’re ingesting.  

“It’s not too late to reverse course. I appreciate that governments want to discourage illicit drug use, an objective shared by all GPs across Australia. However, it’s vital that policy makers listen to the experts and back policy measures that save lives. An independent evaluation of CheQpoint is due at the end of next month, and it would be wise to least review the expert evaluation before finalising the closure of these drug testing sites.” 

The College’s alcohol and other drugs spokesperson, Dr Marguerite Tracy, encouraged a health-based approach to substance use rather than a “war on drugs” mindset. 

“Drug testing sites like CheQpoint are a sensible harm reduction measure,” she said. 

“This is not about condoning illegal drug use, it’s about helping people who are taking illicit drugs make an informed decision. Healthcare workers at these sites also can talk to them about their drug use patterns and offer guidance and advice that could prove lifesaving. We know when people visit these sites, whether they be a ‘fixed’ service or a mobile service at events such as music festivals, many choose to dispose of their drugs once they’re told what they contain. 

“If you look around the world and what is happening in Australian jurisdictions, it’s clear Queensland is moving in the wrong direction. There is no point pretending that drug use doesn’t happen; it does happen, and we need to view alcohol and illicit drug use through a health lens.  Overdose deaths do not happen to ‘other people’, it could be your friend, child, or colleague. At the end of the day – every life matters.” 

~ENDS 

RACGP spokespeople are available for interviews: 03 8699 0992 / [email protected].