NSW Premier Says There's Still No Evidence To Suggest Pill Testing Works

The Groovin in the Moo music festival in Canberra hosted it's second ever pill testing trial on the weekend.

It was a two pronged approach that aimed to protect festival goers from harmful substances and as a way to show that these types of testing facilities are needed at events like this across the country.

The trial was hailed a success after more than 170 substances were tested, with seven being found to contain a potentially deadly chemical.

Now, you'd think after two successful trials lawmakers would start to think maybe it's a good thing to have these things rolled out, but sadly it doesn't seem the case in New South Wales.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian was questioned about the recent trial after the figures were announced and she didn't hold back.

Speaking to reporters, the Premier said: "They haven't shown there's any evidence yet.

"My position on pill testing remains firm. I don't think it works, I don't think the evidence is there and I don't support it."

That message kind of flies in the face of the evidence that was developed during Groovin in the Moo festival, doesn't it?

Gino Vambuca from Pill Testing Australia said: "We helped reduce drug-related harm by giving young people access to a medical service they would not have had otherwise.

"The pilot was again overwhelmingly successful by any measure but particularly by doing everything possible to keep our kids safe.

"The simple truth is that it is time to take practical evidence based steps to make parties and festivals safer for our kids."

At the moment, across New South Wales it's illegal to provide pill testing because the government and police believe it could encourage people to take illicit substances.

But people have been taking drugs since their inception and despite bigger crackdowns by authorities, partiers continue to get high and put their lives at risk.

These pill testing facilities provide an avenue for some concerned drug takers to check out what they're dealing with and make an informed decision, rather than just popping it in their mouth and finding out what happens in an hour.

At the Groovin in the Moo festival, testers found the overall purity of MDMA was much higher than the previous year.

Interestingly, when people were told that their pill or capsule contained a pretty strong strand of the substance, they said they would take less of it or not at all. If that doesn't scream harm reduction then we don't know what does.

Featured Image Credit: Glady Berejiklian/Facebook

Topics: News, Drugs, Australia, politics

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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