Measure in place in other countries to detect dangerous impurities.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar has revealed that he is examining a proposal to allow users of drugs in venues such as clubs to have them tested for potentially lethal ingredients.
It is part of the Department of Health's scrutiny of some of the more unorthodox measures to tackle the problem of drug misuse which are already in place in other countries.
The radical plan is being examined as part of the work which has recently got under way in drawing up a new national drugs strategy from 2017, with the aim having a report ready in October.
Under the plan, which would require a change in the law, drug users could have illicit drugs or party pills legally tested for potentially lethal ingredients on-site in a club or at a festival.
Mr Varadkar said: "We know from years of experience that education on its own does not work. People need to be aware that when it comes to anything bought over the internet or street they don't really know what they are taking."
He was speaking after the tragedy in Cork when Alex Ryan (18) died after taking an N-bomb synthetic drug.
The minister said there may be a role for these testing kits because "much as we may like to believe it, just telling people not to experiment in drugs has not proven effective for decades".
Source: Eilish O'Regan, Irish Independent, 26/01/16
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