Welsh government provides free drug analysis

The Welsh government has launched a new public service to provide drug analysis information to the users of legal compounds. The project is called Wedinos and it analyses drugs to determine their ingredients.

The service gave a demonstration of how it tested the chemicals inside a legal psychoactive substance called cyclone, with the analysis showing that cyclone contains a compound designed to mimic the effects of cannabis.

The people behind Wedinos have found that there has been a rapid growth in new psychoactive substances designed to act like illegal drugs, such as cocaine, cannabis, speed and ecstasy. As these new substances are made from different chemical compounds, they are currently legal.

Welsh health minister Mark Drakeford said: “It’s essential intelligence for our health workers, for our substance misuse workers, for the police, for young people and their families. By providing timely and accurate information, this service can save lives.”

Wedinos already has its critics, however, with some concerned that it could be abused by drug dealers to learn when to create new drugs.

Not all Welsh MPs are sure that the service is providing value. Conservative MP Darren Millar said: “The Welsh NHS is still struggling to cope with the legacy of record-breaking cuts imposed by the Welsh Labour government, yet the NHS has the resources to test addictive and harmful drugs for possible addicts for free.”

Mr Millar went on to say: “It is obviously open to abuse by dangerous criminals peddling harmful substances in order to fund other crime.”

150 drug samples have been sent in for analysis since the service opened and 85 different substances have been identified, including cocaine and many legal highs.