The Loop has started a new year-round programme to deliver its pioneering onsite drug testing at Drumsheds and The Warehouse Project, with testing in the autumn 2024 clubbing season to monitor trends in the drug market for safety.
For the first time The Loop has received Home Office licences to test at venues, building on its work at festivals over this summer. Much of The Loop’s service delivery, since 2013, has been working within and alongside the festival industry, and developing the service model and approach for drug testing services in different environments. The Loop’s drug testing services (‘back of house – BOH’) are non-public facing and operate by testing substances confiscated or through amnesty onsite, and working alongside key stakeholders. The Loop received the first ever Home Office licences issued for drug testing for UK festivals in spring 2024, and for UK venues in autumn 2024.
The Loop is now conducting onsite drug testing at two of the largest club venues in the UK, Drumsheds in London and The Warehouse Project, Depot Mayfield in Manchester, to inform our understanding of the UK’s changing drug market and the implications of that for both customers and emergency services operating in those venues. The Loop will have the UK’s first HO licensed mobile laboratories to be located onsite within both venues during operating hours, to rapidly and accurately test substances of concern and disseminate test results with the primary aim of reducing drug-related harm.
Changes in the drug market have made the rapid-real time testing offered by the Loop more important than ever with drug-related deaths at the highest on record and set to increase further. The UK also faces increasing challenges with the emergence and proliferation of synthetic cathinones, cannabinoids and opioids.
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Katy Porter, CEO of The Loop said:
“With our drug testing being completed at festivals, a seasonal industry, we have been concerned that this does not go far enough in maintaining regular drug intelligence across the UK, and importantly throughout the year. The introduction of our year-round onsite testing into a venue in both London and Manchester will provide intelligence for real time risk management and harm reduction information that can be quickly shared with the public, other venues and wider stakeholders to reduce the potential of significant harms.”
Professor Fiona Measham, Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool and founder and Chair of The Loop said:
“The Loop’s drug testing programme is going from strength to strength. We started out conducting the very first back of house testing onsite at the WHP in October 2013 and 11 years later The Loop is introducing year-round onsite venue testing, including with our long term partners at the WHP and now also at Drumsheds, with full HO licences. The size of these venues and the regularity of testing all year round means that The Loop’s understanding of drug markets will only increase.”
“Implementing onsite drug testing at both Drumsheds, London, and The Warehouse Project,Manchester, will commence a nationwide network of drug testing, funded directly by the venues. Swiftly communicating to venue customers, wider nightlife communities, and partners, including public health, early warning systems, law enforcement, and importantly, the generation of real-time alerts when there are significant concerns.
Sam Spencer, Head of Operations, representing Drumsheds and 9.8, says:
“As part of our ongoing commitment to public safety and harm reduction, we are proud to collaborate with The Loop in bringing their innovative drug testing service to Drumsheds. We believe in taking proactive steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all audiences and the introduction of testing is a significant move in that direction. The information gathered helps us continue to respond in real-time to potential risks, and following the ONS report of increased drug-related harms, this initiative represents a crucial shift in how the industry responds. It’s about more than just mitigating risks – it’s about equipping people with the knowledge and support they need to stay safe across London, Manchester, and nationwide, while fostering a responsible, informed culture within the live events space”.
The Loop’s mobile lab, operating under a Home Office licence, will contribute to the national surveillance of illicit drug markets, which allows more targeted interventions when responding to drug use, disseminated through social media to reach a wide audience, and in working with local and central government departments, OHID and the Home Office, in consideration of concerns and response.
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association:
“The NTIA wholeheartedly supports The Loop’s pioneering initiative to expand onsite drug testing. This programme represents a groundbreaking step forward in our shared commitment to enhancing public safety within the nightlife sector. The rapid changes within the UK’s drug market, including the rise of synthetic substances, have underscored the urgent need for informed, real-time responses. The NTIA is proud to champion this forward-thinking approach, which equips our nightlife venues with tools that protect audiences and encourage a safer, more responsible nightlife culture. The partnership between The Loop, venues, and local authorities marks a crucial evolution in public safety and harm reduction within the UK’s nightlife sector, and we look forward to supporting its positive impact on communities nationwide.”
The planning for testing will remain dynamic, and in consideration of additional information and intelligence from all involved partners (police, public health), increased risk and further changes in the drugs market, and to ultimately inform plans for related harm reduction activity and approaches.
