Gold Coast academic concerned schoolies pill testing sends wrong message

The government has been criticised over its Schoolies pill testing backflip - after saying it was unable axe Labor’s testing plans on the Gold Coast this year. Read the latest

Debate over Gold Coast schoolies pill testing. Picture: Supplied.

A former Gold Coast detective turned university academic has criticised the state government for allowing pill testing to go ahead at schoolies and says there’s ‘no hard evidence’ to support it.

On Tuesday the LNP conceded it was too late to tear-up a contract signed by Queensland Health, under the previous government, for drug testing at this year’s event which starts next weekend.

“The perception is pill testing makes taking drugs safe for young kids - the reality is it doesn’t.” former Gold Coast cop and Bond University criminologist, Dr Terry Goldsworthy said.

“A number of toxicologists have highlighted concerns that not all pill testing can identify pills that contain novel psychoactive substances. Quite simply there is no hard evidence that pill testing saves lives.”

Bond University Criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Dr Goldsworthy said research by the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation and leading addiction experts couldn’t draw a link between pill testing and a reduction in deaths, it also suggests young people are being lured into a false sense of security.

“Generally young people getting their drugs tested have to sign a legal waiver to access the pill testing service. The contents of these waivers are confronting,” Dr Goldsworthy said.

“They get young people to acknowledge that regardless of the finding, testing does not provide evidence of purity, nor evidence of safety, nor evidence of dose and crucially does not provide any information as to how the individual will respond to the drug being tested.

“The waiver form finishes with the sage advice that he only way to guarantee, 100 per cent, that you are not harmed by consuming drugs is not to consume drugs.”

Pill testing will go ahead at schoolies 2024.

In a statement confirming pill testing would go ahead at Schoolies this year, a spokesman for the new Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government was still opposed to drug testing.

“The contract for pill testing at Schoolies this year was a contract let by the previous government,” the spokesman said.

“After taking advice so close to the event, the only short-term option is for the Department of Health to honour the contract for this year’s event.”

The introduction of pill testing at schoolies has been supported by health experts including the Australian Medical Association.