Drugchecking in Berlin reveals about half of drugs are contaminated or overdosed, with the project having analyzed 5,310 samples collected since July 2023. About 49 percent of analyzed substances were conspicuous — overdosed, mislabeled, contaminated, or showing multiple risks — while incorrect labeling accounted for about 36 percent of warnings, contamination about 35 percent, and overdosed samples just over 15 percent.

Testing averages about 150 free-of-charge samples per month and focuses most frequently on amphetamines and derivatives (ecstasy, cathinones), cocaine, LSD, and synthetic cannabinoids, while natural cannabis is not part of the offering.

Warnings with photos and information on effects, dosages, risks and long-term consequences are published online, the platform is visited about 37,000 times per month, and most users submitting samples are men aged 18–39 while women make up about a quarter and the majority had no prior contact with drug or addiction help services.

Since July 2023 the Berlin Drugchecking Project has analyzed 5,310 samples brought to its testing service. About 49 percent of the analyzed substances were classified as conspicuous, a category that the project uses for items that are overdosed, mislabeled, contaminated, or present multiple risks. Incorrect labeling accounted for about 36 percent of the warnings issued, contamination for about 35 percent, and overdosed samples made up just over 15 percent of warnings.

The project tests an average of about 150 samples free of charge each month, reflecting the regular volume handled by its mobile and stationary offers. The most frequently tested substances are amphetamines and their derivatives, specifically ecstasy and cathinones, followed by cocaine, LSD, and synthetic cannabinoids. Natural cannabis is explicitly not part of the testing offering.

The Berlin Drugchecking Project categorizes about 49 percent of analyzed substances as conspicuous, a designation that covers overdosing, incorrect labeling, contamination, and cases presenting multiple risks. Incorrect labeling was identified in roughly 36 percent of the warnings issued by the service, while contamination accounted for about 35 percent, and samples classified as overdosed made up just over 15 percent of warnings. These proportions reflect the distribution of the specific issue types within the set of warnings published by Drugchecking Berlin and are reported by the project without further breakdown by substance type.

Warnings that document these issues are published on the Drugchecking Berlin website with photos and accompanying information on effects, dosages, risks and long-term consequences. The available reporting focuses on the observed issue types and their shares among warnings and does not include natural cannabis in the testing offering.

Drugchecking Berlin publishes warnings with photographs on its website and provides accompanying information on effects, dosages, risks and long-term consequences.

The online warning platform recorded about 37,000 visits per month, indicating audience reach for those notices. The report notes that May 2024 and March 2026 each registered 109 separate warnings on the platform.

The Senate Department for Health states that drugchecking increases users’ awareness of risks and can influence behavior, for example prompting people to refrain from use or reduce their dose.

The available sources do not provide further technical details about the publication schedule, criteria for posting warnings, or the exact format of the online notices beyond the inclusion of photos and explanatory information.

Most users of the Berlin Drugchecking service are men aged 18–39, and women make up about a quarter of those submitting samples. The majority of people who used the service had no prior contact with drug or addiction help services before submitting samples. These demographic and service-contact findings are reported by the Berlin Drugchecking Project in its public reporting. The available sources do not provide additional demographic percentages or a more detailed age-group breakdown.

The Senate Department for Health states that drugchecking raises users’ awareness of risks and can influence behavior. The department cites examples of behavioral effects, specifically that people can be prompted to refrain from use or to reduce their dose. The available sources do not provide quantitative measures of how often these behavioral changes occur or long-term follow-up data. The report presents these behavioral observations alongside the project’s testing and warning data. The available sources do not provide methodological details about how behavior change was assessed.

The Berlin state funds the Drugchecking Project with a budget of 288,000 euros for 2026 and a planned allocation of 295,000 euros for 2027. These budget figures are reported as state funding for the project for the specified years. The available sources do not provide further detail about budget breakdowns, additional funding sources, or how the amounts will be allocated within the project.

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