More people may access Canberra's fixed-site pill testing facility when the ACT's drug decriminalisation laws come into effect later this year as the government has been told a larger site is needed.
The facility, located in the city, will operate until at least December 2024 but the government has been urged to consider a new site for testing as the current site is "inadequate".
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the government would consider embedding a pill testing service into existing services following an evaluation of the service.
"It is a reasonably costly service to operate in the way that it's currently operating in a standalone environment," she said.
"We think there's probably potential to embed the service more into existing service systems as we go forward beyond December 2024."
An evaluation report of the CanTEST site, released on Monday, found the current facility in the city was "deemed inadequate by service users and staff".
The report recommended a new facility be identified that has better access to parking and a larger space for waiting and consultation.
Operating hours for the service, operated by Directions Health, should also be extended as it is only open for six hours a week, which service users have said is "restrictive".
Directions Health chief operating officer Stephanie Stephens said changes to allow for longer operating hours and a larger space would be welcome.
"What we'd really love is to be open more hours. Six hours a week obviously doesn't return much as far as economies of scale go and also it doesn't allow for people to get in here very easily but additionally we would love a larger space," she said.
The facility could also experience an uptick in demand when drug decriminalisation is implemented in October.
Under the new laws, people will be able to possess small amounts of certain illicit drugs without facing the prospect of jail time or a criminal record.
Ms Stephens said decriminalisation laws may result in people feeling more comfortable to get their drugs tested.
"There's a long standing stigma and fear of coming into health facilities for fear of coming into health facilities for fear of being targeted by police," she said.
"So we're really hoping that the change in legislation will lead to more people feeling comfortable to enter facilities."
The evaluation found more than 10 per cent of samples analysed at the fixed-site pill testing site were binned after participants found out what was in their drugs.
Half of the drugs brought in for testing were found to contain substances unexpected by the person who volunteered them for analysis.
The facility was initially supposed to be a six-month pilot, which started last July.
- National 24/7 Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline: 1800 250 015
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