The Loop launches London's first drug checking service

The Loop Drug Checking Service, the charity which introduced drug checking in the UK, has launched London’s very first drug checking services. The Loop has brought its pioneering harm reduction service to Hackney and Camden, combining personalised health advice with rapid chemical analysis of substances of concern, and collecting information on current trends within local drug markets, to share with stakeholders and local communities.

Fully funded by Hackney and Camden Councils, supported by the Metropolitan police, and operated by The Loop’s multi-disciplinary team of chemists, health professionals and more, the new service forms part of a multi-agency partnership that includes local drug and alcohol teams and academic experts. This evidence-based health initiative aims to communicate risk to reduce drug-related harm, increase understanding of local drug markets, and share intelligence with at-risk communities and wider stakeholders, including public health, police and the hospitality and events industries, to support targeted harm reduction messages across the city.

Katy Porter, CEO of The Loop, said:

“This marks a major step for harm reduction in the UK. Following the introduction of The Loop’s Bristol-based service in 2024, crucially more people will now have access to regular drug checking. Hackney and Camden are the first of several London boroughs we are working with, alongside further cities. This launch represents another important shift toward evidence-based health interventions at a time when drug deaths in England are at an all-time high.”

Professor Fiona Measham, Founder and Chair of Trustees of The Loop and Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool, said:

“Drug markets are more dangerous than ever, with increasing numbers of potent synthetic drugs in circulation across the UK. Drug checking can play a unique role in countering these threats, acting as the ‘canary in the coalmine’. It tests, identifies and communicates these risks rapidly and directly to local services and local communities. Drug checking reduces drug-related harm, which reduces the burden on emergency services and the NHS.”

The introduction of these new drug checking services align with London’s ambitions to reduce drug related harm, improve access to treatment and support, and reach communities most affected by drugs.

The Loop's city centre drug checking services in Bristol and now London are free, confidential, non-judgemental and provided monthly.

Licensed by the Home Office and operating in line with government policy, The Loop’s drug checking service will aim to reach and work with people at all stages of dependency, seeking to reduce potential harms at the earliest opportunity.

Drug checking provides a unique opportunity for people to access rapid, accurate and timely information about substances of concern in circulation in the local drug market, combined with non-judgemental support from health professionals. Service users surrender substances of concern for laboratory analysis by chemists, and the results guide personalised consultations as well as feed into local, national and international early warning systems, including public-facing drug alerts, and build our understanding of drug trends.

The Loop provides information about the relative risks associated with drug use to help reduce harm and support people into treatment and health services where appropriate. The organisation is clear that no drug use is without risk, but that better understanding of substances of concern in circulation benefits individuals, communities and emergency services by reducing the harm caused by potentially dangerous drugs.