This summer,young people at NSW music festivals will be denied a proven safety measure that we know saves lives.
Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann will push forward with a pill testing bill following the deaths of two men at a music festival in Sydney last month.
More than 250 police and four sniffer dogs were at the Listen Out festival in Centennial Park,but festivalgoers say a heavy police presence does more harm than good.
Queensland will become the first Australian state to offer drug users,including those under 18,a free service to test illicit substances,including ecstasy.
The fourth Victorian coroner in six years has called on the state government to introduce pill testing to stop people from dying from accidental overdoses.
Pill testing at music festivals is on Rose Jackson’s radar ahead of Labor’s drug summit,despite Premier Chris Minns’ outward caution on drug law reform.
In a bid to curb the harmful effects of illicit drugs,Queensland will introduce pill testing at mobile and fixed sites.
State government agencies have revealed they are looking at the “suitability” of drug harm-reduction services as part of a broader approach,after a period of relative silence on the issue.
Advocacy groups are calling for harm-reduction policies,such as pill testing,to be revisited with the return of large events.
NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman expressed hope that the government’s answers to the drug reform recommendations will be delivered by Christmas. He added that he would be disappointed if a response failed to occur before the end of the year.
According to a 2019 study,63.4 per cent of respondents said they supported the testing of illicit drugs at festivals.