Is it time to call a truce in the war on drugs? Dr James Freeman looks at the evidence; and the evidence shows prohibition has failed, and decriminalising drugs ought to save lives and deliver both social and economic benefit. […]

Calls for pill testing to be allowed at events where the consumption of illicit and potentially dangerous substances is likely has ignited a fierce and bitter debate. Adriana Buccianti, whose son Daniel died in early 2012, has copped many of those remarks — total strangers gleefully telling her that her gentle, hard-working chef deserved what he got. […]

As Australian politicians continue to rule out pill testing at music festivals, New Zealand appears to be embracing the controversial practice. The country’s Police Minister Stuart Nash said on Tuesday the idea of independent pill testing tents was “a fantastic idea and should be installed at all our festivals”. “The war on drugs hasn’t worked in the past 20 years,…

I have become a spokesperson for the national campaign for safer, saner drug laws ‘Take Control’ because all the available evidence points to pill testing being a proven and genuine means of reducing harm and danger and saving young lives — not just talking about it. How can governments look parents in the eye and say they are doing everything they…

Speaking to the ABC, Harm Reduction Australia president Gino Vumbaca called for a rethink on drug testing. “The continual reliance on law enforcement, extra policing, extra (sniffer) dogs, severe penalties, that all happens, but we see what happened at the music festival in New South Wales and festivals around the country,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. […]

Pill testing could help warn others about dangerous batches of pills at Australian music festivals and deter drug suppliers from selling “contaminated drugs,” according to Dr Alex Wodak, president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation. […]

Caldicott is just one of numerous experts in fields from harm minimisation and drug reform to police and medicine who have said pill testing should be considered to reduce drug problems at music festivals. “There’s not really that many experts you can find anywhere in the world who thinks that this is a bad idea,” Caldicott said. […]

Reason Party leader and upper house MP Fiona Patten urged the government to look at the decades of evidence from overseas that showed pill testing reduced deaths and ambulance calls-outs. Dr Alex Wodak, president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, said families were suffering unnecessary pain and politicians weren’t taking responsibility for it. […]

The recent deaths have sparked a national debate around pill testing, with advocates renewing calls for the technology to be introduced in order to minimise risks. Since her son died, Ms Buccianti has been a fierce advocate of the measure, which she believes could have saved Daniel’s life. “My son would have never, ever wanted to come out of that…

The national campaign for drug law reform, ‘Take Control’, has pleaded with the NSW Premier to reconsider her stance. “As always, we must be respectful of the family and remember that every single life is precious,” Ted Noffs Foundation CEO Matt Noffs said. “We have doctors and drug treatment experts standing by to make live music and festivals safer for our…