Benefits of publishing pill testing data outweigh risks

"There are people who use drugs in the community that would never attend a drug checking service and (participants) wanted to make sure that everyone who could possibly be helped by this information could access it," study author Monica Barratt said.

The Victorian-focused research data could also be used by the state's emergency departments and health workers looking for real-time information on local drug markets or even used for policy and advocacy, the drug policy expert said.

Some 41 drug users and experts in the field took part in the RMIT research, which determined the benefits of making results available outweighed the risks.

Pill testing is legal in Queensland and the ACT, while Victoria launched a trial this summer and NSW is about to embark on a $1 million 12-month trial.

Australian governments and drug checking services share high-risk findings through drug alerts, however most study participants wanted full public disclosure.

They thought Australia should follow the lead of the United States, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand and Germany, where results are de-identified and made public through interactive dashboards or searchable websites.

But how law enforcement could use the data emerged as an issue, with fears it could lead to greater policing or stigmatise areas of heavy drug use.

"There was some concern that having complete public access might be problematic, but there was also recognition that police can potentially be engaged in harm reduction," Ms Barratt said.

About 600 drug samples were tested by The Loop Australia at Beyond the Valley Festival, where Victoria's trial started.

The organisation said almost 40 per cent of those who used the service intended to take smaller amount of drugs afterwards.

"That's what harm reduction looks like in action," chief executive Cameron Francis said.

Summary results from the trial were released to the public days later, with further information to be released later.