Drug checking service The Loop launching in Bristol

The UK's first Home Office-licensed regular drug-checking service is launching in Bristol this month.

The Loop has previously run pop-up sites, including at music festivals.

From the end of May, people will be able to drop off illegal substances to be tested, with the aim of reducing drug-related harm.

Milly Chowles, a recovering drug addict, said: "I know of many people that have died from taking substances because they had rogue ingredients."

She added: "That's absolutely tragic and so many could have been avoided if they'd had access to a service like this."

The Loop, a not-for-profit drug checking organisation, has been trialling the scheme at sites around the UK since 2016.

Its director, Fiona Measham, said: "When we give people the results, if the substance is other than expected, two thirds of people throw it away or give it to us to dispose of.

"So we're taking those adulterants out of circulation and reducing future harm."

The Loop says drug-related deaths and associated harms have been increasing in the UK since 2012, with key contributing factors including mis-sold drugs, as well as high and variable strengths.

The scheme launching in Bristol, in partnership with Bristol City Council and Bristol Drugs Project (BDP), will be the first regular, licensed drugs testing site in the UK.

Maggie Telfer from BDP said there was no such thing as a "100% safety check" with drugs but that The Loop system "does help reassure people that what they're intending to take is what they're going to be taking".

The number of deaths from drugs misuse is at its highest in the UK since 1993, and higher than average in Bristol.

Prof Measham, who is the Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool, said people often have "no idea" about what is in the drugs that they have bought.

"One in five are totally different to what they expected. So you can see there will be problems with people misusing substances and overdosing."

Once a month from 28 May, any member of the public will be able to take substances they are concerned about to BDP and place them into an amnesty box.

The Loop's pop-up laboratory in BDP will analyse the drug, identify its contents and test its strength.

Around an hour later the user will pick up the results from community hub the People's Republic of Stokes Croft where they will receive a tailored healthcare consultation including details of the drug's ingredients and associated risks.

Ms Chowles, who hosts Back 2 Life, a podcast encouraging open conversations around addiction, trauma and mental illness, said The Loop was "an incredible, forward-thinking and compassionate service that saves lives".

"People are going to take drugs regardless of whether they are legal or not, they always have done, and probably always will," she said.

The podcaster, who has been clean for several years, said the UK needs "a much more progressive and pragmatic approach to drug policy".

Prof Measham added: "One in 20 people who use the service ask to be put in touch with local drugs services so we can plug people into the system and help them get more help and support."

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