# WEDINOS (Welsh Emerging Drugs and Identification of Novel Substances)

**Status (2026-04):** Active, with site migration in progress (wedinos.org → wedinos.wales 301 redirect observed 2026-04-23; a notice on the live site states "Results of recent sample submissions will be available by the end of the week" due to migration).
**Location:** Cardiff, Wales, UK. Laboratory is part of Public Health Wales (PHW) infrastructure.
**Founded:** 2013 (operationally; per Wikipedia / WEDINOS historical bulletins).
**Principals:** Operated by Public Health Wales (NHS Wales). Clinical toxicology lead historically associated with the project is not uniformly named across site pages; no individual principal exposed on the current landing.
**URL:** https://wedinos.wales/ (canonical as of 2026-04-23; redirect from wedinos.org)
**Specialisation:** Anonymous postal drug-checking and epidemiological surveillance of recreational drugs and prescription drugs from unsanctioned sources. **Not HRT-focused**; included as a comparator for public-benefit drug-checking infrastructure.

WEDINOS is the exemplar UK drug-checking service funded by a government public-health body (Public Health Wales). It is free to users, accepts mail-in samples, and publishes aggregated data quarterly via the PHILTRE bulletin. It is the closest to "what a government-funded community lab looks like done properly" in the UK.

## Instruments (with citations)

| Model / class | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FTIR | Rapid identity screening | Per CLAUDE.md research spec and historical WEDINOS methodology disclosures; specific make/model not on the 2026-04-23 landing copy |
| GC-MS | Identity + quantitation | Historical WEDINOS methodology; not surfaced on current landing copy |
| HPLC | Identity + quantitation | Historical WEDINOS methodology |
| NMR | Identity confirmation | Historical WEDINOS methodology |

Specific instrument makes and models are **not** exposed on the live wedinos.wales site as of 2026-04-23. The inventory listed above reflects the methodology disclosed in older PHILTRE bulletins and Wikipedia. Confirm current instrumentation against a recent PHILTRE issue before citing for a technical design decision.

## Assays offered

- Substance identification
- Purity quantitation (where standards exist for the analyte)
- No sterility, no endotoxin — this is a drug-checking service for recreational-drug harm reduction, not for injectable QA

## Pricing

| Assay | Price | Turnaround | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any | **Free** to submitters | Results typically ~1 week; current migration notice says "by the end of the week" for new submissions | C2 — "free" is consistent with PHW funding and harm-reduction norms; not explicitly stated as £0 on current landing page but no payment flow exists |

## Submission workflow

1. Complete the Effects Record (online form) and print the labels.
2. Post the sample to the WEDINOS Cardiff address.
3. Results published on wedinos.wales as a searchable database (de-identified). Submitter receives results via the submission system.

Anonymity is preserved: postcode-level, not address-level; no name required.

## Sample requirements

- Accepts powders, tablets, crystals, blotter, plant material, etc.
- Postal submission from UK primary; samples from outside Wales accepted.
- Packaging: per the Effects Record submission guidance.
- Anonymity: high.

## Publication practice

- **PHILTRE bulletin** — quarterly newsletter historically; annual report since ~2019–2020. Issues 1–17+ are published at wedinos.org/resources/downloads/ (many still resolving on the legacy domain).
- **Sample database** on wedinos.wales — fully searchable, de-identified.
- Standard format: substance name, detected compounds, location region, sample class.

## Reputation notes (public statements only — no speculation)

- WEDINOS is routinely cited by UK / EU drug policy researchers and has operated continuously since 2013 with steady PHW funding.
- Criticism in UK press has focused less on method quality and more on political framing (is drug-checking harm reduction or tacit enabling). These are policy debates, not method critiques.
- For DIY HRT users in the UK, WEDINOS is **not an option** — PHW's remit does not cover injectable pharmaceutical QA. It is listed here only as a comparator for what a public-funded community lab looks like.

## Structured claims

**Claim:** WEDINOS is operated by Public Health Wales (PHW / NHS Wales).
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** https://wedinos.wales/ (2026-04-23); PHW publications page at https://phw.nhs.wales/publications/publications1/wedinos-philtre-april-2023-march-2024/

**Claim:** WEDINOS is based in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEDINOS); PHW records

**Claim:** PHILTRE is WEDINOS' quarterly (now annual) bulletin, with issues published since 2013–2014.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** wedinos.org/resources/downloads/ (multiple Philtre_Issue_*.pdf links); https://phw.nhs.wales/publications/publications1/wedinos-philtre-april-2023-march-2024/

**Claim:** WEDINOS accepts postal samples and returns results free of charge to the submitter.
**Confidence:** C2
**Source:** wedinos.wales/ (submission workflow described; free-at-point-of-use inferred from PHW funding and the absence of any payment flow)

**Claim:** WEDINOS uses FTIR, GC-MS, HPLC, and NMR as its analytical stack.
**Confidence:** C3
**Source:** Historical PHILTRE bulletins and Wikipedia describe this stack; current wedinos.wales landing page does not list instruments. Confirm against a recent PHILTRE issue before citing for a technical design decision.

## Unknowns (C5)

- Specific instrument makes / models currently in use.
- Individual laboratory leads (clinical toxicology / analytical chemistry).
- Annual testing volume.
- Current turnaround SLA (the 2026-04 migration notice is vague).
- Whether WEDINOS has ever accepted non-recreational drug samples (e.g., adulterated clinical / prescription drugs) outside its stated scope.

## Sources

- https://wedinos.wales/ (2026-04-23)
- https://wedinos.org/ → redirects to wedinos.wales (301, observed 2026-04-23)
- https://phw.nhs.wales/publications/publications1/wedinos-philtre-april-2023-march-2024/ (2026-04-23)
- https://www.wedinos.org/resources/downloads/ (multiple PHILTRE PDFs)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEDINOS (2026-04-23)
- `research/01-existing-services/other-community-testers.md` — round-1 coverage