2018-05-04
The Victorian Greens are calling on the Andrews Government to commit to a pill testing pilot following the success of a similar process in the ACT.
The trial was undertaken at Canberra's Groovin the Moo festival with support from the ACT Government, ACT Health, the ACT Police, the University of Canberra (where the festival was held), the festival's promoter (Cattleyard), and a consortium of leading experts and harm reduction organisations.
The Andrews Government could initiate a trial under current Victorian law, using a similar approach to the one taken in Canberra.
But with the Government failing to take the lead on this key public health issue, the Greens have introduced a Bill that would provide a clear basis in law for a pilot programme to undertake lab-grade pill testing at major events.
Under the Greens’ proposed laws, people getting their drugs tests would also be exempt from criminal charges, and experts conducting the pill testing would be required to provide all data to Victoria Police and the Department of Health and Human Services for the purposes of harm minimisation.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for Health, Nina Springle.
“The ACT trial found capsules that contained chemicals responsible for mass overdoses around the world. If testing wasn’t available, we might have been reading about another overdose instead of the success of this trial.
“It doesn't get any clearer for the Andrews Government; either get on board with a Victorian pill-testing trial, or continue putting our young people at risk.
“We know young people take drugs at these types of festivals and we know pill testing will help keep them safer. My question to Daniel Andrews is what are we waiting for?”
Note:
Nina Springle MP introduced the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Lab-Grade Pill Testing Pilot) Bill 2017 in November 2017, and the proposed laws are currently being drafted.