New Zealand Permanently Legalizes Drug Checking, a Global First

New Zealand permanently legalized drug checking on November 23, by passing a bill to let a pilot program performing the harm reduction service at festivals continue and expand its operations. The new law will take effect December 6.

New Zealand is the first country to explicitly legalize, and subsequently facilitate, drug checking. The pilot program, first approved in December 2020, was set to expire in December 2021.

In April, the Ministry of Health had recommended making the pilot permanent, which led to plans for the new legislation. Data showed that 68 percent of participants changed their behavior as a result of accessing the service, and 87 percent said they better understood the harms of drug use after talking with the people performing it.