User:Cdreue/sandbox

The International Day of Drug Checking is an initiative by a diverse group of organizations that all play an active part in the delivery of harm reduction initiatives. The event was held for the first time on March 31st, 2017   to celebrate and raise awareness of drug checking, and to remind people to test their knowledge about drugs and their effects." By raising awareness and sharing knowledge, these organizations hope to improve awareness of ways in which each and every community can reduce these risks.

Drug checking has been recognised an essential aspect of public health policy and is recommended by the World Health Organization.

As of late 2018, calls for pill testing in Australia have intensified after deaths of five young people at music festivals. A number of politicians have admitted to using MDMA, acid, marijuana . Writing in an open letter to state and territory leaders the Royal Australasian College of Physicians has also shared their support behind pill testing, claiming there is enough evidence it can help to warrant a trial.

Objectives

 * Raise awareness of drug checking as a harm-reduction approach so that more people can have the opportunity to check their drugs to make more informed decisions. Drawing on a 30 year history of drug checking with well-established test services in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany and France, it promotes the use of GC/MS (Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry), TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography), HP-TLC (High-performance thin-layer chromatography), or IR (Infrared spectroscopy) methods as the most effective means of getting one's drug's tested.
 * Promote the use of personal drug-checking using home reagent testing kits, which are easily attainable online. Despite the limitations of these testing kits, it still believes that they offer an effective way to reduce the most dangerous risks associated with unidentified drugs and an essential way to introduce people to find out more about the idea of harm reduction and responsible drug use.

Supporting Organizations

 * Asociación Hegoak Elkartea (SP)
 * BAONPS (DE, IT, POR, and SLO)
 * Check-in! (POR)
 * Crew 2000 (UK)
 * DanceSafe
 * DrogArt (SLO)
 * Energy Control (SPN)


 * Erowid
 * Erowid's EcstasyData (USA)
 * Karmik (CA)
 * Kosmicare (UK)
 * Lab57 (IT)
 * SIN (P)
 * Students for Sensible Drug Policy (IE)
 * The Loop (UK)
 * UNHARM (AUS)