The Role of Drug Checking in Identifying Novel Substances in Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand was the first country to legalise Drug Checking in 2021, aiming to reduce drug-related harm by helping people who use drugs to make informed decisions. The service has grown significantly, evidenced by a near 300% increase in sample numbers. Samples associated with harm or that cannot be identified in-field are sent for laboratory analysis. Several samples have been found to contain novel psychoactive substances (NPS). A review of samples submitted by Drug Checking Providers was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence of NPS and other dangerous substances. Synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, benzodiazepines, nitazenes, and ketamine-analogues are the most detected groups of NPS, including the first reported detection of N-cyclohexyl-pentylone internationally. First detections in Aotearoa now often occur through Drug Checking, a shift from NPS detections in seized samples which was prevalent a few years ago. Drug Checking provides an unparalleled insight into drug trends, the identification of NPS, and other potentially dangerous substances circulating in Aotearoa’s drug supply. This drug intelligence provides a community-level harm reduction benefit. Other jurisdictions should consider Drug Checking to gain a wider picture of the national drugscape than traditional methods of informing early warning systems from analysing seizures alone.