Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival first in state to introduce pill testing

Southern Downs police will keep an eagles eye over the Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival, revealing their strategy and focus for the Easter long weekend.

Southern Downs police will be out in force to ensure the roads leading to and from the annual Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival are driven on by motorists sober of drugs and alcohol.

Held throughout the Easter long weekend of March 28 and April 1, the music festival is leading the way as the first in Queensland to introduce pill testing.

In 2019 two patrons attending the event were found dead in their tent, with a coronial investigation determining both had lethal cocktails of drugs in their system when they died.

Queensland is now the second state in the country to have introduced the drug testing initative, after the former Palaszczuk Government gave the scheme the green light in February 2023.

Festivalgoers at the Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival on Queensland's Southern Downs. Picture: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rabbitseatlettucemusicfestival/

Southern Downs Acting Inspector Jamie Deacon said officers from across the region will be conducting enforcement activites over the Easter long weekend.

“We know that historically music festival’s are an event where drugs and alcohol are present,” Acting Insp Deacon said.

“We’ll be conducting enforcement activities of patrons feeding into the event, as well as police presence at the event.”

Warwick Police acting Inspector Jamie Deacon. Picture: Jessica Paul / Warwick Daily News

Police will be overly cautious in preventing any road fatalities over the long weekend after the Southern Downs region recordings its highest number of traffic fatalities last year since 2013.

“(The traffic fatality data) shows us that alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor in 47 per cent of all lives lost in the Darling Downs district and in 38 per cent for the Southern region,” Acting Insp Deacon said.

“Community safety is the highest priority.”

Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival will celebrate its 15th year at Cherrabah Resort in Elbow Valley on the Southern Downs from March 28 to April 1.