Pill testing at music festivals needed after rave overdose, doctors say
8 years, 2 months ago

Pill testing at music festivals needed after rave overdose, doctors say

ABC  

Drug experts have renewed calls for pill-testing facilities at music festivals after the death of a man from an unknown substance at a New Year's Eve rave in southern Queensland. However, emergency physician doctor David Caldicot said pill testing at music festivals in parts of Europe had seen fewer people use and mix drugs. "It is good practice to suggest that we never tell them that the drug is good or safe, merely tell them what's in their drug and contextualise it for their consumption," Dr Caldicot said. University of Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre director Professor Jake Najman said in 2015, 75 new synthetic drugs came onto the market. "The NSW Government will not facilitate or sanction the testing of illegal drugs, creating the dangerous fiction that they are then safe to consume," the spokesperson said.

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History of this topic

Pill testing to be introduced at Victorian music festivals where overdoses occurred
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Pill testing to be introduced at Victorian music festivals where overdoses occurred

ABC  

The Victorian government has announced four more festivals that will host a pill-testing trial, including two events marred by drug overdose incidents in 2024. It comes after a pill-testing trial was launched at the Beyond the Valley music festival earlier this month, a trial the government said was "highly successful". "The results from Beyond the Valley speak for themselves: pill …

Menzies study finds NT music festival attendees support drug testing on site
10 months, 1 week ago

Menzies study finds NT music festival attendees support drug testing on site

ABC  

In short: A study from Menzies has found strong support from NT festival goers for drug checking, which researchers say suggests a need for on-site checking services. 'It's not enough to tell people not to use drugs' A string of drug overdoses at music festivals at the beginning of this year has reignited debate about pill testing. Australian Medical Association …

New drugs mean more risk of overdose. Experts say we need more pill testing now
1 year, 1 month ago

New drugs mean more risk of overdose. Experts say we need more pill testing now

ABC  

At least once a fortnight, Zach, a Sydney man in his early 30s, consumes an illicit drug. Chemistry lead of CanTEST, Australia's only fixed-site drug checking service, Malcolm McLeod told ABC RN's Life Matters that "around 10 per cent to 15 per cent of samples maybe not as expected". In January, CanTEST confirmed the discovery of three previously unidentified drugs …

Suspected MDMA overdoses at Melbourne music festival ignite demand for nationwide pill-testing in Australia
1 year, 2 months ago

Suspected MDMA overdoses at Melbourne music festival ignite demand for nationwide pill-testing in Australia

Firstpost  

Over the weekend, eight young individuals at the Hardmission electronic music festival in Melbourne were placed in medically induced comas, drawing attention to the need for nationwide pill-testing programs. Uniting NSW ACT, a social justice non-profit, called on the Minns government to implement pill-testing following the suspected overdoses. Assoc Prof David Caldicott from Pill Testing Australia offered a free pilot …

Pill testing to go ahead on-site at Spilt Milk festival in Canberra
1 year, 4 months ago

Pill testing to go ahead on-site at Spilt Milk festival in Canberra

ABC  

Pill testing will on Saturday be available on-site at an Australian music festival for the first time since 2019. Key points: Pill Testing Australia will provide free, on-site drug testing at Spilt Milk in Canberra Groovin the Moo in Canberra was the first in the country to trial free pill testing in 2018 The confidential service will be available to …

UK’s first community-based drug testing reveals quarter of illegal substances are missold
5 years, 1 month ago

UK’s first community-based drug testing reveals quarter of illegal substances are missold

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The study, led by Professor Fiona Measham, chair in criminology at the University of …

NSW Government told to introduce pill testing, scrap sniffer dogs at festivals
5 years, 4 months ago

NSW Government told to introduce pill testing, scrap sniffer dogs at festivals

ABC  

A coroner has recommended pill testing be conducted in NSW, along with the decriminalisation of personal drug use and the scrapping of sniffer dogs at music festivals. Key points: Deputy NSW coroner Harriet Grahame recommended several major law changes The Berejiklian Government has consistently stated pill testing sends the "wrong message" The mother of a teenager who died from a …

As debate rages over pill testing at music festivals, a mother pleads for more to be done to prevent deaths
5 years, 8 months ago

As debate rages over pill testing at music festivals, a mother pleads for more to be done to prevent deaths

ABC  

The mother of a teenage girl who died of a drug overdose at a music festival in January has called for urgent action to prevent more deaths. Key points: Alex Ross-King died after taking three doses of MDMA before attending the FOMO festival in January Her mother, Jen Ross-King, is calling for a change in policy to prevent more deaths …

Everyone benefits if partygoers know what's in their drugs, so why make pill test pioneers go crowd funding?
6 years, 2 months ago

Everyone benefits if partygoers know what's in their drugs, so why make pill test pioneers go crowd funding?

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Every festival season, young people die …

Will pill testing save lives?
6 years, 3 months ago

Will pill testing save lives?

ABC  

We asked four Australians under 30 whether pill testing should be allowed at music festivals. Following three festival deaths in four months from suspected drug overdose, debate has reignited over whether pill testing could save lives or gives the green light to illicit drug use. The ABC asked four young Australians whether pill testing could save lives or gives a …

Refuse to consider pill test after man, 19, ‘dies from drug overdose’ at Knockout Games of Destiny
6 years, 3 months ago

Refuse to consider pill test after man, 19, ‘dies from drug overdose’ at Knockout Games of Destiny

Daily Mail  

Pill testing at music festivals is still being resisted by the New South Wales Premier despite the death of a young man on the weekend following a rave that left several others in a critical condition. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said testing could lull people into thinking the drugs were safe to consume even though it could not account for …

Put testing labs in town centres to prevent 'needless' deaths, say parents of teens killed by ecstasy overdoses
6 years, 4 months ago

Put testing labs in town centres to prevent 'needless' deaths, say parents of teens killed by ecstasy overdoses

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Whether he would have done that if it was available, I don’t know …

What went down with pill-testing at this weekend’s Groovin the Moo
6 years, 10 months ago

What went down with pill-testing at this weekend’s Groovin the Moo

ABC  

Doors opened for Canberra’s Groovin the Moo at 10.30am, and within an hour, the first festival-goer had their pills tested. “More people came to use the consultation service, to chat to people about how they use drugs and what they’re doing, than had their pills tested,” he said. “We really had no idea what the uptake would be like before …

Call for pill testing at festivals to help emergency services treat overdose victims
7 years ago

Call for pill testing at festivals to help emergency services treat overdose victims

ABC  

Pill testing should be introduced at music festivals to help emergency workers treat patients suffering adverse reactions like overdoses, according to an inquiry into Victorian drug law reform. "A key concern of the committee regarding drug checking is that it may lead to a perception among individuals who use drugs that, once the substances are tested, they are safe to …

Young Australians Want Pill Testing At Music Fests And Would Heed The Results
7 years, 2 months ago

Young Australians Want Pill Testing At Music Fests And Would Heed The Results

Huff Post  

Jamesmcq24 via Getty Images The push to legalize drug checking at music festivals in Australia is gathering momentum, with a new study reporting nearly 90 percent of participants said they would use such a service, if it were available, before taking illicit drugs. In a study of 642 people from Western Sydney University, conducted at a major Australian music festival …

Canberra's Spilt Milk festival sees pill testers improvise to get drug kits to punters
7 years, 4 months ago

Canberra's Spilt Milk festival sees pill testers improvise to get drug kits to punters

ABC  

Revellers at Canberra's Spilt Milk festival have turned to do-it-yourself pill testing kits, after an effort to have an official testing site was derailed. "In the few days gone by, I've been very busy out delivering kits around Canberra, leaving them in people's letterboxes," he said. With the latest spate of overdoses in Queensland, attention has inevitably turned again to …

Canberra's Spilt Milk festival sees pill testers improvise to get drug kits to punters
7 years, 4 months ago

Canberra's Spilt Milk festival sees pill testers improvise to get drug kits to punters

ABC  

Revellers at Canberra's Spilt Milk festival have turned to do-it-yourself pill testing kits, after an effort to have an official testing site was derailed. "In the few days gone by, I've been very busy out delivering kits around Canberra, leaving them in people's letterboxes," he said. With the latest spate of overdoses in Queensland, attention has inevitably turned again to …

Pill testing on-site at Spilt Milk festival under consideration by ACT Government
7 years, 9 months ago

Pill testing on-site at Spilt Milk festival under consideration by ACT Government

ABC  

In a groundbreaking move, the ACT Government is in talks about legally providing drug testing at a major Canberra music festival, according to the Ted Noffs Foundation. We've now heard that the ACT Government and the Chief Minister himself are looking at pill testing for the end of this year at Spilt Milk," the Foundation's chief executive Matt Noffs said. …

Pill testing on-site at Spilt Milk festival under consideration by ACT Government
7 years, 9 months ago

Pill testing on-site at Spilt Milk festival under consideration by ACT Government

ABC  

In a groundbreaking move, the ACT Government is in talks about legally providing drug testing at a major Canberra music festival, according to the Ted Noffs Foundation. We've now heard that the ACT Government and the Chief Minister himself are looking at pill testing for the end of this year at Spilt Milk," the Foundation's chief executive Matt Noffs said. …

Let all festival-goers test their drugs before they take them, say public health experts
7 years, 9 months ago

Let all festival-goers test their drugs before they take them, say public health experts

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Festivals should let revellers test drugs before they take them to …

Pill testing at music festivals needed after rave overdose, doctors say
8 years, 2 months ago

Pill testing at music festivals needed after rave overdose, doctors say

ABC  

Drug experts have renewed calls for pill-testing facilities at music festivals after the death of a man from an unknown substance at a New Year's Eve rave in southern Queensland. However, emergency physician doctor David Caldicot said pill testing at music festivals in parts of Europe had seen fewer people use and mix drugs. University of Queensland Alcohol and Drug …

Government urged to consider pill testing as number of ecstasy users appearing at NSW hospitals doubles
9 years, 1 month ago

Government urged to consider pill testing as number of ecstasy users appearing at NSW hospitals doubles

ABC  

The number of ecstasy users appearing at NSW hospitals has almost doubled in the past six years, as pressure builds on the Government to rethink its tough stance on party drugs. Pill testing 'would reduce danger' Four Corners has spoken to former law enforcement and judicial officials who say police should introduce pill testing at festivals to help keep young …

Stereosonic death: Emergency doctor wants pill testing at music festivals after Sylvia Choi's drug overdose
9 years, 3 months ago

Stereosonic death: Emergency doctor wants pill testing at music festivals after Sylvia Choi's drug overdose

ABC  

An emergency physician is one of a growing number of people calling for pill testing at music festivals after a woman's death from an ecstasy overdose at Stereosonic at the weekend. "I've changed my mind because a very good friend of my son's said to me, and I quote, 'you're not going to be doing Daniel any favours if you …

Synthetic drugs explained
11 years, 6 months ago

Synthetic drugs explained

ABC  

Features Synthetic drugs explained by Cathy Johnson They go by names like Benzo Fury, Kronic and White Revolver, and come as powders, pills or dried herbs. The name "synthetic drugs" is confusing, however, because it doesn't distinguish these newer drugs from illicit drugs such as LSD, ecstasy and speed that are also synthesized from chemicals. Synthetic drugs are also known …

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