Good drugs , good bands.. that’s what a festival should be all about
ABC News
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.
The free service is being run from a medical tent within the grounds of Yours and Owls on Wollongong’s Flagstaff Hill.
Pill testing, also known as drug checking, is a process that tests the contents of most drugs for potentially life-threatening or unknown substances.
It is a harm minimisation strategy designed to help people make safer, more informed choices around drug use and in turn, reduce injuries and fatalities.
The pill testing service is located about 100 metres within the main gates of Yours and Owls, with a discreet entrance.
A small sample is taken from each presented drug and tested. (ABC Illawarra: Mikalya McQuirk-Scolaro)
Attendees present their drugs to NSW Health staff who will analyse it for purity, potency and any adulterants added to the product using a 10-minute process.
From there, patrons will be able to have a discussion with a qualified counsellor about the results but speaking from the event on Saturday, NSW Health chief executive Kerry Chant said patrons could still leave with the drug if they wanted to.
“Most people want to be safe … but to some extent what we are empowering people with is knowledge,”
she said.
