London’s first drug checking service opens in Hackney and Camden

The Loop, the UK’s first dedicated drug checking charity, opened two centres in Camden and Hackney, licensed by the Home Office, in early February. 

Following the success of the Bristol branch, The Loop worked with Hackney and Camden councils to provide a harm reduction service in the capital. Isabelle Maddox, the Communications lead at The Loop UK, said, “Drug checking is when someone can go up and hand in a substance, and we test that substance.”

She added, “We can then have a very open conversation and it’s completely non-judgemental. We’re not here to judge anyone or tell people to stop. We are just there to give people the facts of how to safely proceed and let them make their own mind up”

The Camden service is open on the first Saturday of each month and the Hackney service is open on the third Saturday of each month. The Loop use the data gathered by the testing for research into the current drug market and puts out alerts and their findings to keep drug users safe.

 In 2024, the Office for National Statistics reported 5,565 deaths related to drug poisoning. Isabelle said that in 2024 “London had seen the biggest increase in drug deaths across the UK”. The Loop’s new centres for drug checking in Camden and Hackney are extremely important moves by the councils to reduce drug deaths in the capital. 

Drug checking is extremely important in harm reduction for drug users. Due to the illegal and unregulated nature of the drug market, users can get scammed or worse spiked by street drugs. For example, in 2025, The Loop tested 430 MDMA pills and the average strength was 193mg, which is almost double the average adult dose. Unregulated and unchecked drugs pose a major danger for users.

There are new threats to drug users on the market, Isabelle said, “Nitazines, these really strong synthetic opioids have started infiltrating our heroin market in the UK. That’s what’s causing lots of the drug deaths, so the public health teams are having to do something to stop them.” 

In addition to this, The Loop’s testing of crystal samples found that almost a third of the samples were cocaine, ketamine and MDMA, but there was 9.5% of samples that were ‘other’. These ranged from flour, sugar and baby formula to more dangerous substances such as 2CB, amphetamine and benzocaine. Loop’s testing allows individuals to make informed decisions about their drug usage and knowing how to use safely if they wish. 

Whilst the London services have only been open a week, The Loop has been making a difference across the country since the 2010s, with drug testing at festivals and in their licensed centre in Bristol. Isabelle said, “People tend to change their minds if they know there’s something dangerous or concerning.”

She adds “People have acknowledged that they will go slower, people have thrown stuff away that we have tested.” Loop’s services aim to reduce drug deaths in London by identifying dangerously high potency or harmful impurities. She added, “At the end of the day, people just want to have fun. They don’t want to die.”

The Hackney drug checking service is located at:
Turning Point, 110 Mare St, London, E8 3SG | View map

This service takes place on the third Saturday of each month.

The Camden drug checking service is located at:
CGL, King’s Studio, 43-45 King’s Terrace, London, NW1 0JR | View map

This service takes place on the first Saturday of each month.

Find more resources at: https://wearetheloop.org