Cardiff Students’ Union Harm Reduction Initiative

Cardiff Students' Union is now piloting a harm-reduction initiative for students at Cardiff University. We appreciate that drugs are illegal, however if you are a student at Cardiff University, and you are considering taking drugs, we advise you to do so safely.

CSU Drug Survey

Cardiff Students' Union has also produced a survey, which  is a confidential and anonymous way of providing useful feedback to the Students' Union to use purely for the benefit of our Harm Reduction Program in the aim of making Cardiff a safer place for students.

Cymraeg:
Mae'r arolwg hwn yn ffordd gyfrinachol a dienw o roi adborth defnyddiol i Undeb y Myfyrwyr i'w ddefnyddio er budd ein rhaglen lleihau niwed yn unig, gyda'r nod o wneud Caerdydd yn lle mwy diogel i fyfyrwyr.

You can access the survey here.

Cardiff Students’ Union has invested in drug-testing kits to help students test their substance prior to consumption, to understand the drug’s purity. This is so that you can make an informed decision whether to take the substance, or not, and how much of the substance to take at any one time.

Remember, the best way to remove the risk of harm from drugs is to abstain from taking them altogether.

Student Advice, based on the third floor of the Students Union, welcomes students that want to collect a drug-testing kit.

Student Advice is a confidential service that is independent from the University. We will not share information of your enquiry with the University without your consent unless we had reason to be concerned for your immediate safety. *

If you would like to collect a drug-testing kit, please approach our enquiry desk for a “Testing Kit” and we will take it from there. If we understand that you are seeking a drug-testing kit, at no point will your contact details be taken or recorded. We are not interested in policing your behaviour, but we are interested in keeping you safe.

If you are seeking advice on your wellbeing as a result of drug usage, we would be happy to signpost you to services to support your wellbeing and/or to help you find services that might be more appropriate to answer any specific questions.

Please do not bring illegal substances into the building. You will be required to take the testing kit away with you for use in your own home.

While you wait for Cardiff Students' Union to resume this initiative, drug testing kits can be available to purchase online. If you are going to buy a drug testing kit, make sure you:

• Invest in a reliable brand.
• Read the instructions first.
• Understand your results prior to taking drugs. 
• Seek advice from a specialist service if you have any questions about the test, your results, or illegal substances.

What is Harm Reduction?

Harm reduction means that although we acknowledge that harm may occur, we put measures in place to reduce this likelihood.

Many narcotics used as ‘party drugs’ are illegal, including all of those for which we are providing testing kits. However, student safety is our utmost concern. We understand that the legality of certain narcotics does not prevent students from accessing or using them.

While we have a zero-tolerance policy for narcotics use on Students’ Union premises and highly advise against substances elsewhere, we appreciate that the illegality of substances can lead students to acquiring them from dubious sources with little-to-no certainty as to what the substance contains.

We also understand that damage caused by narcotics can sometimes be preventable by testing substances before use and steadying your consumption.

While the safest option is always to avoid taking drugs, it is our duty to provide the safest options to our students.

University Services

For wellbeing support from the University, Cardiff University’s Counselling and Wellbeing Team offer one-to-one sessions with professional counselling and wellbeing therapists both via drop-in or in an appointment. Details of this service can be found on the Student Intranet.

External Support and Advice

Please use the links below to access help and information from how to reduce risks to researching substances and legal advice. 

• The Drop – Club and Party drugs - The Drop is BDP’s Bristol Drug Project) one-stop-shop for information and support for people who use recreational and party drugs.
• Release is the national center of expertise on drugs and drug law. They offer harm reduction advice as well as free advice on UK drug laws.
• Crew is a harm reduction and outreach charity based in Scotland - neither condemns nor condones drug use: they exist to reduce harm.
• The Loop provides harm reduction advice and information, welfare support, drug safety testing, and training.
• SSDP UK also known as 'Students for Sensible Drug Policy' is the largest global youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs
• Drugwise Promoting evidence - based information on drugs alcohol and tobacco.
• Talk to Frank Honest Information about drug use. Click the link or contact the National Drugs Helpline –  - 0300 1236600
• Mixing alcohol and drugs can be very dangerous - Information from Drink Aware

Drug Testing Kits

These drug testing kits operate by identifying the purity of a harmful substance. When mixed with the chemicals present in the test, the colour of the product should identify how pure the substance is, or how many other components are present within the sample.

The tests include a colour chart to help you understand your results.

Remember, purity does not necessarily mean safety. A purer sample can mean that you feel the effects a lot quicker, and a with more strength, than those with a high quantity of mixed components.  

However, those with a high quantity of adulterants may be harmful in other ways as these tests do not identify the foreign substances.

Read the instructions of your drug testing kit carefully. This information is intended to help you decide how much of the sample you are going to take, and how frequently. In all events, if you are going to take the substance, our advice is to start low and go slow.

You will find a QR code to a survey within your testing-kit package. Again, we are not seeking contact details from you, but trying to understand whether this service is helpful to our students, and worth maintaining.

Limitations of Reagent Testing

• If multiple substances are mixed together, the dominant colour will be most visible. This may prevent the user from reading the reagent test accurately. To prevent this, you would need to separate the substances which can be extremely difficult. You may want to speak to one of the external support services above for advice on additional testing if you are concerned about the reading of your results.
• The test cannot advise you of how much of a substance is safe to take. The effect of drugs will vary between each drug, each person, and the environment that you are in. You need to think about your circumstances prior to consumption:
  • How are you feeling?
  • Where are you?
  • Who are you with?
  • Are you on prescribed medication?
  • Do you have any medical issues or conditions that could be impacted?
  • Have you taken something else already?

As above, the best way to remove the risk of harm from drugs is to abstain from taking them altogether. Drug-taking carries risk and you need to make an informed decision before buying, taking and mixing.

Start slow, stay safe, stay informed and look after each other.

Harm Reduction Booklet

Disclaimer

We at Cardiff Students’ Union do not encourage drug-use. We understand that buying, and being in possession of, recreational drugs is against the law. We uphold a zero-tolerance policy to possession of drugs in the building and those caught in possession of drugs within the Students’ Union face a life-time ban from the building.

We also understand however, that the decision to take drugs is that of each individual. The circulation of drugs and illegal substances is often outside of our control. By adopting a zero-tolerance approach in all of our activity, we share concerns that students may avoid engaging with harm reduction initiatives, and therefore put themselves at risk that could otherwise be avoided.

This is an initiative piloted by Cardiff Students’ Union using eztestkits.

Students should continue seek medical advice from a GP where appropriate.

The University’s Academic Regulations still remain that students should avoid conduct which could amount to a criminal offence.

*By the term immediate safety, we refer specifically to intention to inflict harm on yourself or someone else, and/or intention to take your own life.

More information about drugs can be found on this page of our website.

Contact

advice@cardiff.ac.uk
029 2078 1410