University of Bristol hands free drug testing kits to students

Maggie Telfer, from the Bristol Drugs Project, is working with the University of Bristol on the initiative

Free drug testing kits are being made available to students in a bid to avoid unnecessary fatalities.

The initiative by the University of Bristol students' union and Bristol Drugs Project will enable students to discover exactly what they are taking.

Director of student health Alison Golden-Wright, said it was not about "condoning" drug use but to give students "good information".

Students can attend drop-in sessions to learn how to use the tests.

The drug testing kits allow users to find out if any potentially harmful substances are in the drugs they have been given

Maggie Telfer, from the Bristol Drugs Project, said: "There's no quality control out there in drug markets and often things are missold. The consequences of that can be fatal."

Students are also being encouraged to talk openly about drug use when picking up the kits, with support and advice being made available.

Ruth Day, student living officer at the students' union, said more people were likely to take up the kits and offers of support in the knowledge they weren't going to be punished for admitting drug use.

Students union officer Ruth Day welcomed the use of drug testing kits

"The general opinion in the student body is, 'If I'm caught using drugs I'll get kicked off my course, I'll get penalised', which means that no one wants to go forward to reach for support.

"This project is a way of telling the students that, 'No, the university has moved away from that'," she said.

Ms Golden-Wright said it was futile for the university to pretend there was no drug use among students and simply asking them not to do it "doesn't work".

"This isn't about us condoning it or taking a soft approach this is about us being pragmatic and saying a number of our students will probably make these choices, what we want them to have is good information," she added.