Drugchecking
You can check your drugs anonymously at the drug checking services in the Netherlands. By checking your drugs you know what substance(s) your drugs contain and also how much of them.
Read how it works or find a drug checking service in your area.
Rules for testing your drugs
- It is anonymous.
- You can only send one sample (pill, powder, liquid or tab) to the lab.
- Precursors, steroids and medication can’t be tested.
- We only test for consumers.
- We can’t test for parents, family, teachers and other non-consumers. They can call the Drug info phone line for questions about drugs (0900 – 1995; Dutch number, but they do speak English).
- We can’t test for dealers and producers. If you have more than 3 samples with you, you are considered a dealer and we can’t help you.
Good to know: because the big variety of ecstasy-pillen, only roughly 40% is recognized in the system. The majority has to go to the lab for analylsis. This means it will take a week before you have the results!
Always have your drugs tested on time. Powders, liquids, capsules, etc. often have to go to the lab as well. So keep in mind these will also take a week in most casess.
How does it work?
Marquis reagent
- All pills, powders and liquids are checked with the Marquis reagent. A drop of the reagent is put on top of a small amount of powder or liquid.
- The reaction of a drug with this reagent gives an idea of which drug it may be. An idea, because many drugs give the same or similar color reaction. So it only hints at which drug it could be.
- It is not clear how strong the sample is and whether it may contain other substances. For that reason, powders, liquids and seals are sent to the laboratory. You cannot tell what is in the sample from the shape, color or structure.
Recognizing Pills
- Pills have many more features than powders and liquids.
- Based on all those characteristics (logo, shape, type of fracture, diameter, thickness, profile (flat or convex) and color) a pill can be compared with pills with the same characteristics that have already been to the lab.
- If your pill is on the list, you will immediately receive the result (see below).
- If your pill is not yet known to the laboratory, you can have it sent here (see below).
Labtest
- Your pill will be checked in the lab for active substances and amounts. If it is a powder we need about 100 miligrams, from a liquid about a tube (5 ml).
- You will not get your pill / powder / liquid back.
- After a week you’ll get the results.
For a more comprehensive explanation of drug checking, check out this article on drug checking.
FTIR for MDMA, ketamine, amphetamine and GHB
Some drug checking services have a FTIR spectrometer. With that machine it is possible to check what is inside your MDMA (not ecstasy though!), ketamine, amphetamine and GHB. And it is possible to see how strong it is. It only takes a few minutes to analyze these substances, so you will have the results quickly. Only about 5% of the samples can’t be analyzed immediately and will have to go to the lab. See above.
At the moment the following services have an FTIR: Amsterdam (Jellinek and GGD), Amersfoort and Rotterdam. Utrecht will probably have one in 2025.
How much does it cost?
Usually testing is free, but sometimes they charge € 2,50. Call the phone number of the location to find out.
Explanation of test results
Why do you sometimes get a result in% and sometimes in mg?
With pills you get the results in milligrams (mg) so you know exactly how much is in that pill. Then you can decide how much of the pill you want to take. With powders you get the results as a percentage so you can easily calculate how much you want to take.
Why can a result never be 100%?
Drugs occur in different forms. The base form is the most pure form. For example basecoke/crack cocaine. This is just the molecule of the drug. The base from of a certain substance is not practical to use, that’s why many substances are found in the form of salt. In that case there is an acid attached to the molecule. There are several acids that can be used. The most common are: hydrochloride, phosphate and sulphate. For example, MDMA in salt form is a hydrochloride. Speed a sulphate. This added acid is not an adulterant, but a trick to make it into an usable powder.
Thus, the base form of substance is often not practical to use. For example, the base form of amphetamine is a fluid. To make it more useful, an acid (base form + acid = salt form) is added which makes it a powder and dissolves better in water. This makes it easier to swallow or snort.
For example:
MDMA base + acid part (hydrochloride) = salt form MDMA, also called MDMA hydrochloride (HCl).
The weight of each molecule differs, both of the agent and of the different acids. This is why each substance has its own maximum percentage. The maximum percentage is calculated by: weight of fabric / (weight of fabric + weight of acid).
These are the maximum percentages of the most common substances:
MDMA 84%
Cocaine 89%
Amphetamine 73%
4-FA 81%
2C-B 88%
Ketamine 87%
So if the result of the test is for example 83% MDMA. It means it is pretty much pure MDMA.
Recognized pills and spread
When a pill is recognized, you will hear the average result and the spread. The spread consists of the lowest and highest labresult of that pill. In practice, the spread is always greater. There are many pills in one batch, and not all of them will be checked. Therefore, keep in mind that the spread of your pills may be greater.
Some pills have a very large spread. For example a spread from 110-190 mg of MDMA. You do not know how much MDMA your pill contains. It could contain 110 mg, but also 140 mg or 190 mg or something in between. It’s better not to take the pill because you don’t know how much you will take. It might be too much.
What can not be tested?
- Raw materials for drugs.
- Drugs you have purchased abroad (the drug checking services monitor the Dutch drug markets for acute hazardous drugs. Foreign drugs contaminate this monitor.
- Legal or tolerated drugs (for example cannabis).
- Performance enhancing drugs (anabolic steroids). For more information about anabolic steroids, visit: www.ergogenics.org.
- Medicines. For more information on medicines, visit www.apotheek.nl.
- Very wet amphetamine (so bring it dry).
- There is no testing for dealers or manufacturers; If you have more than 3 samples with you, they assume that you are a dealer and may not be of service to you!
Recent (extra) risky pills
All drug samples delivered in the Netherlands at the drug checking services come to the DIMS (Drugs Information Monitoring System). The DIMS therefore has a good view of the pollution of drugs and can warn if it’s necessary.
On the website of the DIMS there’s a list of the most recent (extra) risky pills. Extra risky, because the use of drugs in itself is already risky.
Locations
A complete overview of drug checking services and recent opening hours can be found at www.drugs-test.nl.
Update: august 2024