Back of house drug checking

This year, we will continue the Safer Nightlife Programme and operate a 'back of house' drug checking programme to identify drug trends at different festivals.

This approach has helped us quick identify and respond to nitazene (synthetic opioid) outbreaks in the community since December 2023.

We hope to answer your questions about how ‘back of house’ drug checking works as part of the Safer Nightlife programme in our questions and answers below.

What is ‘back of house’ drug checking in Ireland?

The term ‘Back of House’ drug checking is used to describe the analysis of drug samples that are accessed through a number of different ways, but does not include accessing substances and returning the samples to directly to people who use drugs. However, through the Irish model, we attempt to combine this approach with harm reduction interventions, risk communications and by issuing drug alerts. We apply this approach at some events and if concern is raised in the community.

This approach is used by some countries for market monitoring and for communicating messages indirectly with people who use drugs. We have been able to issue a number of updates and alerts. Through this approach, we have been able to quantify MDMA for the first time to identify how much MDMA is contained in Irish ecstasy pills and in MDMA powder/crystals. This would otherwise not be done. We have also found 7 drugs which have never been found before in Ireland.

How do you get samples at events?

How samples are accessed through a 'back of house' approach can include:

Samples provided to medics or found following a drug emergency
Samples provided to the HSE from friends of those having a medical emergency
Samples put in HSE surrender bins by people who attend Drugs.ie tents which are safe spaces and are not monitored.

Why was a ‘back of house’ approach taken by the HSE?

The HSE are concerned about the contents of drugs and want to know if extra risky drugs are circulation to help you reduce the harms.

This approach means that the HSE can quickly develop a service to communicate risks at festivals without policy adaptation.

How does it work?

The HSE will have a drug harm reduction tent, outreach teams and laboratory at festivals.
The drug tent and all healthcare services at events are a safe space for you to attend to discuss drugs. These settings are not monitored.

The HSE will ensure an anonymous and secure drop off point to surrender drugs
The HSE Drug.ie tent will not be monitored by the Gardai
People can come to the HSE Drugs.ie tentto discuss substance use and harm reduction and can willingly dispose of substances they have concerns about or substances that they do not wish to take
People can also submit in bins in medical tents
Harm reduction workers are available to offer information and support and to help you know more about how you can surrender drugs at the event.
Collective results will be provided from the trends we are seeing to help people with harm reduction measures.

Drug Alerts

Alerts will be issued when extra risky drugs are found. This will include messages on social media, on screens and through discussions with harm reduction workers and medics.
We want to know if there are adulterants, new drugs, drugs mis-sold as something else or drugs that are extra risky because of the potency. We will communicate if we find anything of concern in samples.
We ask people to provide some information about drugs – what they think it is, are they concerned and why and if the drug is linked with someone becoming unwell
Although the results are not delivered directly to the person using, if extra risky drugs are found, alerts can be issued to the festival as well as people not at the festival. This approach helps the HSE, people at the festival and wider public know of drug trends that are otherwise unknown.
The surrender bins will be accessed at different times by the onsite lab and analysis will be conducted through the application of FT-IR technology.

If substances of concern are identified as soon as possible, this will be communicated at the event on screens, apps, through our harm reduction workers and through our social media channels @drugsdotie.

How will I know if an event has 'back of house' drug checking

You can find this information on Drugs.ie social media
Events will have posters to notify if the service is available

Where can I find the alerts and harm reduction?

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @drugsdotie or follow our drug monitoring page
Risk communications and drug alerts can be found on our site here