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South Australian Public Health (Clandestine Drug Laboratories) Policy 2016 under the South Australian Public Health Act 2011
Clandestine Laboratories (clan labs) are used for the manufacture of illicit drugs such as methamphetamine. Clan labs present an insidious risk to the community as toxic chemicals are generated during the drug manufacturing processes. Whilst not always immediately apparent, these chemicals can contaminate buildings, furniture, soil, water, and air within or close to the clan lab site. Given the risk these chemicals can pose to public health, it is important that the chemical contamination in premises used as clan labs is professionally assessed and where required remediated.
In order to effectively manage the public health risks posed by clan labs, SA Health has developed a public health policy and practice guideline.
The South Australian Public Health (Clandestine Drug Laboratories) Policy 2016 (PDF 14KB) has been created under Section 53 of the South Australian Public Health Act 2011.
To support the application of policy, the Practice Guideline for the Management of Clandestine Drug Laboratories under the South Australian Public Health Act 2011 (PDF 970KB) has also been developed.
The primary aim of the policy and practice guideline is to support local government environmental health officers ensure that properties used as clandestine drug laboratories do not present a risk to public health. They do this by providing the framework to ensure the chemical contamination in clan lab premises is assessed and where required remediated.
Whilst the practice guideline and the National Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines have an emphasis on the manufacture of methamphetamine, the assessment and remediation processes described in these guidelines are applicable to the manufacture of any illicit drug (excluding synthetic opioids). The fact sheet Clandestine drug laboratory assessment: for drugs other than methamphetamine has been developed to:
Evaluation of the implementation of the South Australian Public Health (Clandestine Drug Laboratories) Policy 2016 (PDF 14KB) has been undertaken and has identified inconsistencies in the approaches and methodologies applied to the assessment of clandestine drug laboratories in South Australia. A summary of findings report has been produced: Clandestine Drug Laboratories in South Australia: Summary of Findings 2019 (PDF 770KB).
To improve the quality and consistency of assessment of clandestine drug laboratories in South Australia, the following guidance has been developed for suitably qualified experts (clan lab assessors) and property owners:
For further information please email HealthProtectionPrograms@sa.gov.au.