Australia’s first pill-testing clinic Canberra: 40 per cent of samples did not contain cocaine
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Australia’s first drug-testing clinic makes an extraordinary discovery about the the nation’s cocaine supply – and users who’ve paid big dollars are NOT be happy
- Australia’s first pill-testing clinic, reveals 40% of samples contained no cocaine
- The six-month pilot opened up in Canberra back in late July, runs until January
- Program enables people to go and test drugs and pills free of charge
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Australia’s first fixed pill and drug testing clinic has found 40 per cent of cocaine samples tested did not actually contain cocaine.
The six-month pilot program which began in late July at the City Community Health Centre in Canberra enables users to test their recreational narcotics free of charge in a bid to reduce the risk of overdose.
But many drug users, who pay some of the highest prices for cocaine anywhere in the world, left the government-run testing lab disappointed.
Australia’s first fixed pill and drug testing clinic has found 40 per cent of cocaine samples tested did not actually contain cocaine
The six-month pilot program which began in late July at the City Community Health Centre in Canberra (pictured) enables users to test their recreational narcotics free of charge in a bid to reduce the risk of overdose
Since it launched, the CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service examined 58 samples, with 18 people discarding their drugs once the results were in.
According to The Guardian, researchers discovered that all cocaine tested had purity levels less than 27 per cent, with 40 per cent of samples failing to record any result for cocaine.
The price of the dangerous drug has skyrocketed 50 per cent in Australia since the onset of the Covid pandemic, racking up a price of over $450 a gram in some places.
An recent report from the New South Wales Crime Commission found the cost of importing the drug has soared to a staggering wholesale price of $200,000 a kilo, with lingering global supply chain issues hindering international drug-smuggling operations and driving the cost higher.
A group of people seen dancing inside a disco nightclub
Australia and New Zealand have long been seen as a fertile market for cocaine profits, with residents willing to pay more exuberant prices than anywhere on the planet.
This incentivises organised crime groups such as outlaw motorcycle gangs, and drug syndicates from Asia and the Middle Eastern to cut cocaine with other substances to maximise profits.
These groups were previously paying about $125,000 a kilo prior before the Covid pandemic in 2019, which translates to about $300 a gram on the street.
In places like Europe and the US, a kilo, mostly produced in South American countries like Colombia and Peru, only fetches about $20,000 to $30,000.
‘The increase in value is mainly attributed to supply and demand issues as organised crime groups found it difficult to export prohibited drugs from source locations,’ the report said.