First government-led pill testing trial begins at Yours and Owls Festival
3 weeks, 6 days 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 advocate for pill testing since her daughter Alex's death. Ms Ross-King, a Central Coast resident, has been a strong advocate for pill testing facilities since her daughter's passing.

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History of this topic

Pill-testing trial at Wollongong's Yours and Owls Festival 'really positive'
3 weeks, 4 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 …

Pill-testing trial to be hosted by Yours and Owls in Wollongong in NSW first
1 month, 1 week ago

Pill-testing trial to be hosted by Yours and Owls in Wollongong in NSW first

ABC  

Australia's first government-run pill-testing trial will be held at Wollongong's Yours and Owls festival on the first weekend in March. Welcome to Australia's first drug testing site Photo shows A hand in a blue glove points to a white powder sitting on large white machine that tests drugs for the containing compounds. Though the pill testing area is under amnesty, …

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 …

Queensland government to roll out pill testing at Gold Coast Schoolies celebrations
8 months ago

Queensland government to roll out pill testing at Gold Coast Schoolies celebrations

ABC  

Pill testing will be available at Schoolies on the Gold Coast this year, however the Queensland LNP has vowed to scrap the scheme if it wins government in October. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has announced that a pill testing service will be rolled out in Surfers Paradise, near the entertainment precinct, under a Labor government. "Schoolies.com supports the confidential and …

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 …

What's in the drugs that are being tested at Australia's first fixed-site pill testing clinic in the ACT?
2 years, 3 months ago

What's in the drugs that are being tested at Australia's first fixed-site pill testing clinic in the ACT?

ABC  

From workout supplements in cocaine to children's cough medicine in MDMA — Australia's first fixed-site pill testing clinic has found some unusual ingredients in drugs. Key points: Five hundred samples have been collected by CanTEST since it opened in July this year The latest results have revealed some drugs contain children's cough medicine, pre-work out supplements and pesticide The six-month …

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 …

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 …

Groovin The Moo gets green light to host Australia's second-ever pill testing trial
6 years, 1 month ago

Groovin The Moo gets green light to host Australia's second-ever pill testing trial

ABC  

Pill testing will once again go ahead at this year's Groovin The Moo festival in Canberra. Heading to a new site at Exhibition Park in Canberra, aka EPiC, at the end of April, Groovin the Moo will host Australia's second-ever pill testing trial after the ACT Government has again given the green light to the regional touring festival. Pill testing …

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 …

Pill testing could be held outside Spilt Milk festival, ACT Government says
6 years, 6 months ago

Pill testing could be held outside Spilt Milk festival, ACT Government says

ABC  

The ACT Government could consider setting up pill testing outside the bounds of the Spilt Milk festival, after it was denied permission to provide the service on Commonwealth land, Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury has said. Key points: NCA denies pill testing on Commonwealth land ACT Government could consider offering service outside Senator Zed Seselja says drugs "never safe" Canberra hosted …

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 …

Groovin the Moo Canberra pill testing trial attacked by ACT Opposition, Chief Minister uninterested
6 years, 11 months ago

Groovin the Moo Canberra pill testing trial attacked by ACT Opposition, Chief Minister uninterested

ABC  

The decision to allow an Australian-first pill testing trial in Canberra this weekend has drawn scorn from the ACT Opposition, but the Chief Minister says he is not particularly interested in the pioneering move his Government announced. Police won't target pill testing area Health Minister Meeghan Fitzharris dismissed Mr Hanson's concerns the trial would encourage drug use. With the latest …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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