10 Years of Drug Checking in the UK
2026 marks ten years since The Loop introduced publicly accessible drug checking in the UK. Building on several years of onsite harm reduction drug testing, the 2016 services at Secret Garden Party and Kendal Calling marked the beginning of a decade in which drug checking expanded from festivals into community and regular city-centre based services.
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Policy, Evidence and Access
The Loop has worked, and continues to work, towards universal access to drug checking in the UK. Through the development, delivery and evaluation of its services, The Loop has helped build the evidence base for drug checking and demonstrate how it can operate as a practical public health and harm reduction intervention.
Drug checking in the UK is shaped by the wider legal, licensing and policy framework, which determines where and how services can operate. Alongside delivering services, The Loop’s research and operational experience have contributed to a growing public and policy conversation about the role of drug checking and the need for a clear and enabling framework for its delivery.
Over the past decade, The Loop and its work have been referenced in parliamentary debates and committee reports considering drug checking, harm reduction and the legal framework around service delivery. This has included debate in the House of Commons, parliamentary scrutiny of drug checking at festivals, and recommendations for clearer licensing and wider access to drug checking services.
Related parliamentary references:
A decade of drug checking: 2016–2026
Looking back at how The Loop’s work developed and expanded across the UK between 2016 and 2026.
Recognition and innovation
The Loop’s work has received recognition for its innovation in drug checking and harm reduction.
In 2016, The Loop received the Association of Independent Festivals’ Act of Independence Award, following the introduction of publicly accessible drug checking at Secret Garden Party and Kendal Calling that summer.
In 2017, The Loop received the UK Festival Awards Innovation Award, recognising its use of FTIR in publicly accessible drug checking introduced at festivals the previous summer.
Related links:
[2016 Act of Independence Award coverage]
[2017 Innovation Award coverage]
[The Loop Awards]
PIONEERS: Professor Fiona Measham (founder and chair of The Loop) was presented with the award by Ben Challis on behalf of AIF. Also in photo, Freddie Fellowes (Secret Garden Party founder), Steve Rolles (Transform) and Jon Drape (The Loop trustee and Kendal Calling director).
Acknowledgement
The Loop’s work over the past decade has been shaped by the volunteers, staff, partners, researchers and people who have used and supported its services. We thank everyone who has contributed to the development and delivery of drug checking in the UK over the past ten years.
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Support the next ten years
Ten years on, the work continues.
From festivals to regular city-centre services, The Loop continues to develop drug checking, harm reduction, research and public information across the UK.
If you would like to support The Loop’s work, you can make a donation through JustGiving.