“A decriminalisation approach coupled with investment in harm reduction and treatment services can have a positive impact on both individual drug users and society as a whole. The Uniting Church in NSW and ACT is taking a leadership role in this important campaign, we are encouraging everyone to show their support for the need for a major change to national drug…

The test, despite claims from politicians, does not give a rating on how safe the drug is. It simply allows people, who are already planning to consume a drug anyway, to know what they are about to put in their mouth. Caldicott said this information often led to people discarding their drugs, as evidenced by long-running programs in Europe and…

I believe that we need to double down on our efforts to minimise the harm experienced by illicit drug users in Australia. These efforts should include the decriminalisation of addiction and the provision of pill testing. […]

Police have come under renewed fire from angry festivalgoers who claim cops were scaring people away from the medical tent at the Defqon. 1 festival where two people died of drug overdoses. […]

Building a coordinated, evidence-based approach is the best way to ensure everyone’s safety. Moreover, these approaches are politically popular. A majority of people in NSW support pill testing and the safe injecting centre in Kings Cross. They are rational and realistic policy initiatives aimed at keeping people safe. […]

In a similar vein, it is worth looking at the growing body of evidence about pill testing programs, especially in Europe. In the ACT a trial showed some potential benefits in terms of harm reduction and little evidence of making things worse. Ms Berejiklian should ask the panel to look at the evidence and consider whether trials of pill testing…

It’s time the Berejiklian Government listened to grieving families, former police and experts all calling for more effective action on drugs-related deaths at festivals. Specifically, it’s time they entered the real world by shifting from a tin-eared approach of criminalisation on drugs to one of harm minimisation. […]

The presence of sniffer dogs at music festivals is almost completely ineffective at persuading revellers to abstain from drugs and could place them at greater risk of harm, according to new research that comes after the death of two people at a Sydney dance music festival. While the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, faces criticism for again ruling out…

The deaths of Joseph Pham, 23 and a 21-year-old woman from Melbourne has reignited calls for festivals to offer pill testing for harm reduction as the government’s “just say no” approach was slammed. Hundreds have taken to social media using the hashtag #timetotest calling on the government to change its strategy, and enforce pill testing, rather than just banning festivals.…