Premier Jacinta Allan says she will speak with colleagues and health experts,in a shift of tone in her stance on pill testing,following drug overdoses at two music festivals this month.
Most of the 64 deaths that occurred at Australian music festivals between 2000 and 2019 involved very high levels of MDMA,in a finding researchers say bolsters the case for pill testing.
Reform of drug policy in NSW must stand alongside housing and infrastructure as top priorities for the NSW government.
The finding comes as Ambulance Victoria announced late on Friday that two more festival goers were hospitalised for suspected substance abuse at Juicy Fest in Flemington.
Victoria Police will use sniffer dogs and boost their presence at a hip-hop festival this weekend,and Premier Jacinta Allan says she has no plans to trial pill testing.
When police search someone for drugs at a music festival in Victoria,they don’t find drugs more than half the time. Critics say sniffer dogs fail to deter drug use and can increase risky behaviour.
Some patients have been discharged after nine partygoers were hospitalised in a critical condition after the first Hardmission Festival held in Australia on Saturday.
Fights with NIMBYs over housing density,union pay demands,and the Rozelle Interchange are all waiting for Premier Chris Minns when he returns to work.
Key players of the 1999 drug summit,which led to Australia’s first supervised injecting clinic,have called for the government to be courageous in its approach to drug reform.
Premier Jacinta Allan has acknowledged she tried cannabis “a long,long time ago”,while Treasurer Tim Pallas and Opposition Leader John Pesutto said they had also tried it.
Three crossbench parties will push for a pill testing trial a day after the Victorian government said it was open to talking about decriminalising personal cannabis use.