2017-06-19
Victorian Greens spokesperson for health, Colleen Hartland, has slammed a the government’s new plan to allow police to stop and search people at music festivals for drugs without reason.
“The Labor Government’s dangerous new plan will not stop illicit drug use. People will just pre-load their drugs to avoid getting caught by police, or they’ll be taking drugs somewhere else, putting themselves at a higher risk of overdose and death,” said Ms Hartland.
“We should be using festivals as an opportunity to reach out to people who are using party drugs so we can educate them. The government needs to allow lab-grade pill testing and bring in an early warning system, so people understand exactly what they’re taking and the dangers they face.”
“They’ve been doing this in Europe for years and it reduces drug use because people choose not to take drugs which they can see are particularly harmful.”
“We’ve got medical experts right here in Australia who are chafing at the bit to get lab-grade pill testing up and running at festivals. We’ve got all the equipment, we’ve got the experts who can run it, we just need the government to give the green light.”
“It’s incredible to see the Labor Government continue to bury its head in the sand over this, particularly when people’s lives are at stake. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more overdoses and more deaths with the government’s new approach.”