Berlin Drug-Checking Program Experiences High Demand

A free and confidential drug-testing initiative in Berlin has seen a surge in demand since its launch.

Operated by The State Institute for Forensic and Social Medicine, drugchecking.berlin has analyzed a total of 428 samples since its introduction in June, as reported by rbb. The most commonly tested drugs include ecstasy, amphetamine, mephedrone, cocaine, ketamine, and LSD. Results, typically provided around three days after submission, revealed that 30 to 50 percent of the tested samples were marked with a “Warning” status. This designation is given to drugs that are either mislabeled or exhibit abnormally high potency, according to the drugchecking.berlin website.

Ulrike Scherling, the manager of one of the three counseling centers conducting the tests, noted that Berlin residents “have a strong interest in consuming substances in a healthier and less harmful way.”

The practice of regularly testing recreational drugs has a history in Berlin, dating back to the Love Parade’s heyday in the mid-’90s. It was during this time that an organization called Eve & Rave began analyzing the composition of party drugs for the first time.