Queensland will become the first state in Australia to introduce pill testing, in an effort to minimise the harm and risk associated with illicit drugs.
The pill testing services will be rolled out either as mobile or fixed sites, according to a government media release on Saturday (February 25). The service, which tests drugs for the presence of potentially dangerous substances and chemical compounds, will be adopted following “successful trials” at music festivals and at a fixed site in Canberra last year.
“Pill testing is all about harm minimisation,” Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said in a statement. “We don’t want people ending up in our emergency departments or worse losing their life.” D’Ath said the service would be used among a “a suite of options” to positively impact outcomes around drug use.
D’Ath said pill testing “equips” people with “unbiased information” about what is in their drugs, and makes users more likely to dispose of their substances, decrease their intake, or tell their peers or seek help. The minister also said the data collected from pill testing sites “provides critical information to law enforcement and health services about high-risk substances in the community.” The service will not take away from Queensland police powers related to drug possession, supply or trafficking.
Pill Testing Australia conducted two trials at Canberra’s Groovin the Moo music festival in 2018 and 2019, though the service was cancelled at last year’s festival just days out from its start date after the festival’s insurance company withdrew its coverage and support.
At the 2019 edition of the festival, pill testing was found to have potentially saved seven lives, after drugs containing the dangerous N-ethyl substance were discarded by as many festival-goers. Late last year, queues for the government-backed drug-testing service at Canberra’s Spilt Milk were so long that clinic staff were forced to turn away 27 patrons.
Remaining Australian states have remained hesitant to introduce government-backed pill testing, despite the 2020 Australian Election Study finding that two-thirds of Australians support the service.
Earlier this month, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet addressed renewed calls for pill testing following the death of a man who attended Transmission music festival at Sydney Olympic Park. “My clear message to people right across NSW [is] stay safe, and don’t take drugs, and you will be safe,” Perrottet said.
Following Queensland’s announcement of pill-testing services, NSW Opposition leader Chris Minns has spoken on the need for a drug summit after the NSW election to unite experts and other stakeholders.
