Pill testing to be introduced at Victorian music festivals where overdoses occurred
2 months 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 testing does not encourage people to use drugs," Ms Stitt said. Summer of high-profile overdoses precedes trial The trial for pill testing was introduced following an incident at Hardmission Festival in January last year, when nine people were hospitalised after suspected overdoses. "We've said that pill testing will be here to stay … we've already committed to trialling another five festivals next summer," she said.

Festival Music Trial Testing Service Drug Victoria Victorian Pill Testing Pill  music  occurred  testing  festival  victorian  trial  pill  festivals  service  introduced  stitt  overdoses  drug  pitch

History of this topic

Pill-testing trial at Wollongong's Yours and Owls Festival 'really positive'
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Pill-testing trial at Wollongong's Yours and Owls Festival 'really positive'

ABC  

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park says a pill-testing trial at a weekend music festival at Wollongong was "really positive". If you need help: National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015 — 24/7 info, counselling and referrals 1800 250 015 — 24/7 info, counselling and referrals Family Drug Support: 1300 368 186 — 24/7 support for families, friends and …

First government-led pill testing trial begins at Yours and Owls Festival
4 weeks, 1 day ago

First government-led pill testing trial begins at Yours and Owls Festival

ABC  

Nearly 30,000 people attending a beachside music festival in the New South Wales Illawarra region this weekend will have access to Australia's first government-led pill testing trial. Sniffer dogs still used State Health Minister and local MP Ryan Park called this weekend's pill testing trial "historic" but stressed that illicit drugs remained illegal in NSW. Jennie Ross-King has been an …

How the Beyond The Valley music festival pill testing trial will work
3 months ago

How the Beyond The Valley music festival pill testing trial will work

ABC  

About 35,000 festival-goers attending the popular New Year's festival Beyond the Valley will have access to pill testing technology for the first time in Victoria. "Nobody will be told that it's safe to take their drugs, but for the first time, we'll be able to provide information to festival goers about what's in their drug and what the potency of …

NSW to introduce pill testing trial at music festivals from early 2025 to combat harm from illicit drugs
3 months, 1 week ago

NSW to introduce pill testing trial at music festivals from early 2025 to combat harm from illicit drugs

ABC  

NSW will begin a pill testing trial at music festivals from early 2025 in what the government says will help people make safer choices before using illicit drugs. Ms Maiden said members of the police force should be given guidelines around "appropriate conduct" around pill testing locations at events. Mr Park said the pill testing trial, which could be up …

Victorian government announces first of 10 music festivals to have on-site pill testing trial
4 months ago

Victorian government announces first of 10 music festivals to have on-site pill testing trial

ABC  

The Victorian government will launch the first of 10 pill testing trial sites at a popular music festival over New Year's Eve. Testing to target MDMA purity problem The pill testing sites will be operated in partnership with The Loop Australia, a non-profit organisation that is also behind drug checking services in Queensland. "Pill testing is not a foolproof endeavour," …

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announces pill testing trial to start this summer
9 months ago

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announces pill testing trial to start this summer

ABC  

In short: Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced Victoria will trial pill testing of illicit drugs this summer. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced Victoria will trial pill testing of illicit drugs this summer. Victoria will trial pill testing of illicit drugs this summer, Premier Jacinta Allan has announced, saying it was "a common sense way to save lives". "It's …

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 …

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 …

Mother of teenager who died at Sydney music festival urges Minns government to introduce pill testing
1 year, 5 months ago

Mother of teenager who died at Sydney music festival urges Minns government to introduce pill testing

ABC  

The mother of a teenager who died at a Sydney music festival four years ago has made an emotional plea for the NSW government to introduce pill testing, after two more deaths over the weekend. Key points: Two men died in Sydney on Sunday morning after attending a music festival Health Minister Ryan Park said pill testing would not be …

Demand so high for Canberra's pill-testing service that 27 people were turned away ahead of Spilt Milk music festival
2 years, 3 months ago

Demand so high for Canberra's pill-testing service that 27 people were turned away ahead of Spilt Milk music festival

ABC  

Billie* wasn't sure about the contents or purity of the MDMA she purchased so she decided to see exactly what was in it. "I think it's really important for people to be able to test what they've got because, obviously, pills aren't regulated, so you have no idea what you're getting," she said. "I think it's a highly politicised issue …

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 …

Take a look inside Groovin the Moo's pill-testing facility
5 years, 11 months ago

Take a look inside Groovin the Moo's pill-testing facility

ABC  

Australia's second-ever legal pill-testing trial will get underway on Sunday at Canberra's Groovin the Moo music festival, as representatives from other states and territories examine the facility for consideration in their own jurisdictions. Key points: Representatives from other states and territories visited the facility Representatives from other states and territories visited the facility Sunday's trial will be twice as large …

Pill testing trial for Groovin the Moo given go-ahead after spate of festival deaths
6 years, 1 month ago

Pill testing trial for Groovin the Moo given go-ahead after spate of festival deaths

ABC  

Festival-goers will again be able to get their illicit drugs checked for dangerous substances at this year's Groovin the Moo music festival in Canberra, after the ACT Government signed off on a trial being held inside the festival gates. Key points: Health ministers invited to watch pill testing trial Groovin the Moo Canberra will host trial for the second time …

Reveller took 'up to nine' pills before festival death, NSW court hears
6 years, 2 months ago

Reveller took 'up to nine' pills before festival death, NSW court hears

ABC  

One of the revellers who died at a music festival in NSW took up to nine pills of ecstasy with a high purity, a Sydney court has heard. Key points: The court is looking at five deaths at festivals, but may consider another two A directions hearing revealed one victim took six to nine pills which were 77 per cent …

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 …

Listen Out music festival: Over 150 partyers charged with drug offences
6 years, 6 months ago

Listen Out music festival: Over 150 partyers charged with drug offences

ABC  

Police have arrested 159 people attending the Listen Out Festival in Sydney at the weekend for drug offences. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the ABC she was waiting on recommendations to be made by an expert panel she recently put together, in relation to improving the safety of music festivals. The expert panel was announced two weeks ago after two …

Britain’s biggest festival organiser dismays campaigners by backtracking on support for drug testing
6 years, 9 months ago

Britain’s biggest festival organiser dismays campaigners by backtracking on support for drug testing

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. Festival Republic – which organises Reading and Leeds Festivals, among others – said testing …

Bestival to offer drug testing facilities for first time in bid to prevent more drug-related deaths
6 years, 9 months ago

Bestival to offer drug testing facilities for first time in bid to prevent more drug-related deaths

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. Read our privacy policy One of Britain’s biggest festivals is to provide drug-testing facilities …

Drug-testing facilities should be used at all UK festivals after Mutiny deaths, urge experts
6 years, 9 months ago

Drug-testing facilities should be used at all UK festivals after Mutiny deaths, urge experts

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. She said: “We have strong police support – we couldn’t and wouldn’t operate without …

Canberra music festival will test drugs in an Australian first
6 years, 11 months ago

Canberra music festival will test drugs in an Australian first

Daily Mail  

A Canberra music festival will be the first to trial pill-testing in Australia after negotiations with the ACT government. Negotiations with the ACT government, police and health officials have of approved festival promoters to run drug tests with the Safety Testing Advisory Service at Festivals and Events. Pill testing will be trialled for the first time in Australia at Canberra's …

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 …

The UK's radical club drug safety experiment is working – and now it's going high-tech
7 years ago

The UK's radical club drug safety experiment is working – and now it's going high-tech

Wired  

At Kendal Calling in July 2017, blue ecstasy tablets in the shape of the Anonymous mask with a potentially lethal dose of an adulterant made their way into the festival. The pill’s composition was determined by on-site drug checking service The Loop, which sent out an alert on Twitter that was retweeted by BBC Cumbria and Cumbria’s police force. “Someone …

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 …

Festivals to allow revellers to test drugs before they take them
7 years, 10 months ago

Festivals to allow revellers to test drugs before they take them

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. Melvin Benn, head of Live Nation subsidiary Festival Republic, revealed the pioneering scheme 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 …

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 …

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 …

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