NRL chief executive David Gallop has defended the code's drug testing policy following Andrew Johns's confession that he took drugs throughout his career.

"With the new drug-testing regimes across the clubs, the risks are now higher than ever," Gallop said.

His comments open the NRL to criticism of the success of their policies, given that Johns has stated he took drugs but slipped through the net. Asked about the perception Johns might have been given preferential treatment, Gallop said: "There's no evidence of that. In fact, he appears to be saying that he was just lucky not to be caught.

"Our records indicate he was tested 17 times since 1998, which is reasonably significant. He was obviously taking a risk, and with the new drug policy, the risk would be much higher."

Gallop said the potential for criticism was "one of the reasons we put the work in to come up with a more uniform policy. It's never 100 per cent watertight, but his situation, the Wendell Sailor situation … they are all reminders of the risk that you run."

Gallop described Johns's revelations as an "insight into the pressure he was under for so many years".

"It's a distressing story, and everyone should appreciate his frankness," Gallop said. "Hopefully, this will be a watershed for him and an eye-opener for others."

In London, Russel Fielding, head of marketing at The Church, said his staff had been overwhelmed by the media storm that followed Johns's arrest.

"We turned away 1500 people that day, so you can get a good idea of how busy it was," Fielding said. "Our bouncers … don't even remember seeing him.

"We've been disappointed how some people have said that we have a drug problem here. That just isn't true. We give away water - and the joints that generally have a lot of people on drugs sell water for ten quid a bottle."