Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, ss 35DA, 35DD, 35DI
In December 2021, the government legalised drug checking to help people make informed decisions about the drugs they might take. The idea is to check that the contents of the drugs are what you think they are and that they’re not something different that could be really harmful.
It’s now lawful to hand over a small sample (10mg) of your drugs to an official drug checking service. The drug checking service won’t return this sample to you. You can get any drugs or substances tested, including unapproved psychoactives. Once you get your results back, it’s up to you what you do with your drugs. But if the police find more than 10mg in your possession, you won’t be able to get out of it by claiming that you were on your way to get the drugs checked.
Drug checking service providers have to be licensed by the government to operate lawfully. As of March 2022, the legal services you can use are KnowYourStuffNZ , the Drug Foundation, and the Needle Exchange. You can get your drugs checked for free with any of these providers.
For more information about drug checking services and where you can find a drug checking clinic near you, see “Where to go for more support”.
Note: the drug checking law changes make it lawful to supply your drugs to an approved drug checker for testing or destruction. You’re also protected from having your test results used against you in criminal proceedings. But the new law doesn’t change the fact that it’s unlawful to purchase and be in possession of drugs and psychoactives.