A first-of-its-kind pill testing service has officially opened in Fitzroy, giving partygoers free and confidential advice on what’s really in their drugs.
The Victorian Pill Testing Service will operate out of 95 Brunswick Street, right in the thick of one of Melbourne’s busiest late-night strips. Staffed by health professionals, the site offers non-judgmental conversations and on-the-spot testing of pills, capsules, powders, crystals and liquids—including screenings for dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl and Nitazenes, which have been linked to fatal overdoses.
Open three days a week—Thursdays (12–4pm), Fridays (3–7pm) and Saturdays (1–7pm)—the fixed site provides more access hours than any other pill testing service in Australia. Its Fitzroy location also puts it within easy reach of public transport and nearby health and community services.
“The evidence is clear – pill testing works and that’s why we’ve delivered both a fixed site and mobile services to reach as many Victorians as possible,” said Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt.
“With Victoria’s first fixed pill testing service now open, we’re giving people more opportunities to have honest, health-focused conversations and get the information they need to make safer choices.”
The service builds on the success of Victoria’s mobile pill testing, which last festival season tested almost 1,400 samples and issued two statewide drug alerts. For 65 per cent of users, it was their first conversation with a health professional about harm reduction, and a third reported they planned to take a smaller dose as a result.
