Australia's first fixed pill testing site has discovered a new recreational drug not seen in the country before.
Scientists from the Australian National University detected the mysterious substance and named it "CanKet" as it shares similar qualities to ketamine and was located at the Canberra drug checking site, CanTEST.
"Someone presented a small plastic bag of crystals and powder to the testing service," Professor Malcolm McLeod from ANU said.
"They told us that they thought it was ketamine but that the effects of the drug were very different to what they expected, so they wanted us to test it.
"But when we tested the substance it was clear it wasn't ketamine, but rather a ketamine-like substance.
"That's why we have called it CanKet — as in Canberra ketamine."
More than 150 samples have been tested over the last two months, and out of those, 34 were discarded once the owner of the sample knew the contents of the drug.
Last month's results revealed one sample believed to be methamphetamine was actually sugar, and a cocaine sample was found to contain dimethyl sulfone, a drug used for pain relief and as an anti-inflammatory.
Fentanyl can sometimes be present unexpectedly in drugs, however so far the samples taken in Canberra have not detected it.
The service is a collaboration between Directions Health Services, Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy, Pill Testing Australia and ACT Health, with advice provided by scientists from ANU.
The health service released two community notices this month after they found concerning ingredients in what drug owners thought were ketamine and MDMA samples.
'Woah, this is really weird'
Ketamine, a drug that is usually snorted, taken orally or injected, is typically used as a horse tranquilliser.
The drug can cause the user to enter what's called a "k-hole", which ANU scientists describe as a state of dissociation similar to an out-of-body experience.
Emergency department consultant and clinical drug expert, ANU Associate Professor David Caldicott said ketamine was a potent drug that could be used in medical settings both regularly and safely.
"Ketamine is a potent drug, used regularly and safely as a dissociative sedative in the management of acute medical and veterinary conditions.
"Traditionally, much of the ketamine that we have found in the illicit market has been diverted from these sources," Professor Caldicott said.
"This is something quite new, which has never been reported, anywhere, by a drug-checking service."
Professor McLeod said while the newly discovered drug was similar in chemical structure to ketamine, further details were still unknown.
"We're still not quite sure of what its effects are," he said.
"Our initial reaction was 'whoa, this is really weird'. We have no idea who made the drug and where it came from. But we now know it's out there."
Professor Caldicott said the service CanTEST provided was invaluable.
"It allows us to identify never before seen drugs, as well as common drugs, and provide people who use the service clear guidance on the likely health and other effects of these drugs," he said.
"This can potentially save lives."
