State becomes first in Australia to introduce pill testing at music festivals for drug risk minimisation
The Australian Capital Territory ran mobile sites in 2018 and 2019 then opened up the country’s first fixed site late last year, but no state has followed its lead, with Victoria and New South Wales refusing calls, including from some coroners, to introduce pill testing.
The Queensland government will develop protocols based on Canberra’s trials and fixed site.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the move was about harm minimisation.
“We don’t want people ending up in our emergency departments or worse losing their life,” D’Ath said.
“Pill testing services will inform people what chemical substances are in their drugs.
“We know people make better decisions when they are equipped with unbiased information.”
She said testing was more likely to lead a person to dispose of their substances, decrease their intake, or tell their peers or seek help.
”The other benefit to pill testing is it provides critical information to law enforcement and health services about high-risk substances in the community or drug trends.”
The testing will not take away from police powers related to drug possession, supply and trafficking.
Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies CEO Rebecca Lang said it was an effective way to reduce the potential for drug-related harm.
”Drug checking services have been available in Europe for over 20 years and have contributed to significant reductions in drug-related harms, particularly harms related to adulterated drug supply or high purity drugs,” Lang said.
“Drug checking services have been proven to engage people who use drugs who may never have spoken with a health professional about their drug use before and provide an opportunity to provide a brief intervention that can protect the health and wellbeing of people who access the service.”
The move is backed by evidence-based research and has the support of key stakeholders and government agencies.
