Growing Demand For Drug Checking Services: New Report

The 2025 national drug trends reports reveal drug checking continues to be a common practice for those using illicit drugs.

The Drug Trends program at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney, today released findings from its annual surveys with people who use drugs.

Lead author Dr Rachel Sutherland says the 2025 national reports – which draw upon data across every Australian capital city – show drug checking remains common among people who use illicit drugs.

“Nearly 40% of people who use drugs like ecstasy and 15% of people who inject drugs reported testing their illicit drugs in the last year,” Dr Sutherland says.