Far from demonizing people who use drugs—a global reality that some countries have chosen to acknowledge and address rather than forbid—Uruguay is joining an initiative that has already proven successful: testing drugs at parties, raves, and festivals, according to El Debate.
Uruguay’s National Drug Board (Junta Nacional de Drogas, JND), part of the Executive Branch, has launched a program to fund the analysis of some of the most commonly used drugs in the country’s nightlife scene over the course of 2026. The goal is to identify the chemical components of illegal drugs that attendees voluntarily submit for testing, in collaboration with the harm reduction organization Imaginario9.
Put simply: without punishment or snitching, people who attend these events and carry substances—such as MDMA, LSD, or cocaine—will be able to access concrete information about what they bought, allowing them to make more responsible decisions.
The State’s responsibility in drug use
Harm reduction could be part of any country’s public policy framework—in fact, some states have started moving in this direction. This time, it’s Uruguay that has begun to recognize its responsibility here. But the State isn’t doing so alone.
Imaginario9, a civil society collective made up of chemists, lawyers, psychologists, sociologists, and professionals from other disciplines—all postgraduate students in drug policy at the University of the Republic—has aligned with the JND to help ensure safer experiences for people who use drugs at parties.
This is not the first time drug testing has taken place at events and through harm-reduction interventions in Uruguay. Early precedents include voluntary pill-testing initiatives carried out at events in 2016. At the time, local NGOs worked with the support of specialized harm reduction groups such as Proderechos and Energy Control, a leading Spain-based organization.
Thanks to the …
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Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
