News
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Festival pill-test trial gets go-ahead
The second pill-testing trial in Australia will go ahead at a Canberra music festival this weekend. Organisers of Groovin The Moo Festival have given party¬goers the green light to test their drugs on Sunday, a move supported by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. The trial will be run by Pill…
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Retired AFP commissioner argues for decriminalisation of drugs for personal use
“Despite our best endeavours over many years, drugs are as readily available now as they have ever been,” former Commissioner Palmer wrote in a submission to the inquiry. “The market is totally unregulated and controlled by organised crime figures and drug trafficking criminals who make huge profits, pay no tax…
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Berejiklian’s ice inquiry to consider pill testing merits
Australian Medical Association NSW president Kean-Seng Lim said evidence from other countries showed there was “good reason to support a trial of pill testing with appropriate evaluation”. “Pill testing is not a question of just telling someone a pill is safe or not safe, but using it as an engagement…
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Pill Testing Australia launches fundraiser for national tests
As it prepares for its second pill-testing initiative at Groovin’ The Moo in Canberra this weekend, Pill Testing Australia has launched a fundraising campaign on its website. The initial target is $100,000, to buy a couple of schmick pieces of tech to do the testing (ALPHA II FTIR spectrophotometers), assist with logistics, resources…
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Pill Testing Australia Launches Fundraiser to Introduce Free Trials Nationwide
“The support from the medical and scientific community for pill testing is pretty much unanimous, no matter what some Australian politicians would have you believe. Over a dozen professional medical bodies, medical, nursing, paramedical and pharmaceutical now stand with us and 20 years of global data shows that shows pill…
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Tributes flow for Ebony Greening and Dassarn Tarbutt who died at the Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival
Queensland’s independent body for drugs and alcohol has warned that lives could be at risk if the State Government prolongs the rollout of a pill-testing trial. Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies chief executive officer Rebecca Lang said pill-testing had the potential to reduce such tragedies. “I don’t…
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Why do some young people take drugs at festivals and others don’t?
Instead of trying to stop young people taking drugs, which hasn’t been working very well, Professor Rapee suggests parents, the police and lawmakers try to minimise harm – a major argument for festival pill testing. “A large proportion of overseas trials of pill testing have shown that when you have…
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Premier watching ACT pill testing trial closely after Queensland festival deaths
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will consider the outcomes of the ACT pill testing trial and Health Committee chairman Aaron Harper will travel to the ACT to investigate. When asked whether Mr Harper would look at harm-reduction measures rather than tougher enforcement, Ms Palaszczuk said both responses were being considered. […]
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Talking Point: Busted — Six myths of pill-testing
While offering a pill-testing service will never guarantee that there will be no drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals, the international evidence is indisputable and growing that it significantly reduces the risk. And even though the process may seem counter-intuitive to the “just say no” strategies we’re used to (which…
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Time for a permanent drug testing site in the ACT to help save lives
It is time for a permanent ACT drug testing site. Evidence shows that accessing drug checking services not only equips people to make informed decisions by providing clarity regarding substance make-up, it connects them with further harm reduction information and support services. If the challenge is to keep our community…