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Doctor offers to fly thousands of kilometres to test revellers’ drugs for free after a spate of overdose deaths at music festivals
‘The great myth about pill testing is just that we’re just telling people what’s in their pills,’ Dr Caldicott said. ‘The reality is that we know it works very well in stopping people from taking drugs – or at least changes the way they take drugs so that they don’t end up in the hospital.’ […]
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Just About Every Major Health Body In The Country Now Backs Pill Testing
Pill testing will not completely solve the problems associated with illicit drug consumption by young people at music festivals, but it does provide an avenue for opportunistic engagement with health professionals, drug and alcohol counsellors, and highly-trained peer educators. […]
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Free pill testing offer for NT
Canberra doctor David Caldicott will fly up to Darwin and test pills for revellers at BASSINTHEGRASS free of charge, if the NT Government lets him. Dr Caldicott’s organisation, Pill Testing Australia, is offering its pilot pill testing program to any Australian jurisdiction keen to take up the offer. […]
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AMA formally backs supervised pill testing
The AMA has reaffirmed its support for sanctioned, appropriately supervised, and monitored high-quality pill testing trials to minimise the risk to young people, and build an evidence base to determine the effectiveness of pill testing in Australia. At its meeting last week in Canberra, the AMA Federal Council formally and unanimously reinforced the AMA’s support for the trials. […]
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‘Raft of solutions’ needed on drug deaths
The AMA Queensland has issued a statement calling for a controlled pill testing trial, following the worst season for drug-related deaths at music festivals to date. State president Dr Dilip Dhupelia said urgent action is required following the deaths of six young people from drugs consumed at music festivals this summer. […]
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Following a series of drug-related deaths at music festivals in late 2018 and early 2019, momentum is gathering among health professionals to explore one potential solution: pill testing
In January, the PSA issued a position statement in favour of trials being conducted at music festivals, as well as other environments where illicit drug use takes place. […]
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Australia’s forgotten state may become the first to introduce pill testing
Pill Testing Australia’s clinical lead David Caldicott, said he would be thrilled if the group could help Tasmania in its efforts to introduce pill testing at Dark Mofo and facilitate a trial. “In the end this is just to ensure people get home to their mums and dads,” said Dr Caldicott. […]
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Pill testing a step closer in Tasmania, as Liberal MP signals support for trial
Tasmania could become the first state in Australia to introduce pill testing, with the push gaining support from a maverick Liberal MP and the Dark Mofo festival, which may go it alone to offer a testing service. […]
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Tasmania’s Dark Mofo Festival May Have A Pill Testing Trial This Year
The organisers of Tasmania‘s Dark Mofo winter festival have indicated that they may offer a pill testing service at this year’s event, following on from a trial that was held last year in the Australian Capital Territory. ABC News report that representatives of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), which runs the annual event, will be meeting with Pill Testing Australia on Monday for further discussions […]
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What Groovin the Moo musicians think about the pill testing trial
A second pill testing trial will take place this year at the Canberra leg of the Groovin the Moo festival, a year after it hosted the first Australian trial in April 2018. The trial, to be run by the STA-SAFE consortium, will use the same technology but will be a larger operation with an additional testing machine and more staff. […]
