Pill testing at Schoolies: Loop CEO Cameron Francis on why Schoolies pill testing is crucial

The boss of the first drug-testing unit checking pills at Schoolies on the Gold Coast is warning users about purity and mixes of MDMA and cocaine. Read why he’s concerned.

Your son has pills in his pocket.

He doesn’t really want to take them but his mates are giving him a hard time, so he caves – even though he doesn’t know where they came from, what’s in them, or what effect they might have.

His hands are shaking.

And then he sees the sign for pill testing.

It might not be any parent’s dream scenario, but it sure beats the nightmare alternative of an overdose, injury or death.

For many mums and dads, sending their kids off to Schoolies is worse than the first day of school.

After more than a decade of supervision at home and school, students are set free to celebrate … a terrifying prospect for many parents.

Which is why so many are relieved that Cameron Francis and his team will be on the ground in Surfers Paradise this week.

Cameron Francis from The Loop Australia . Cameron is running the drug and pill testing at Schoolies . Picture: Glenn Campbell

After a tense week during which Queensland’s new Liberal National Party government backflipped on its promise to scrap the confidential and free pill-testing service in Surfers Paradise, citing contractual obligations signed by Labor, Mr Francis’s team is locked in.

As CEO of The Loop, which operates the existing fixed drug and pill-testing clinics in Burleigh and Brisbane in conjunction with Queensland Injectors Health Network, Mr Francis said he struggled to understand opposition to the service.

“People say that drug-testing ‘sends the wrong message’, but the message we’re sending is that drugs are so dangerous that you need to have them chemically analysed or you could die. It doesn’t get much more anti-drug than that,” he said.

“Others say there is no hard evidence that drug testing saves lives, but we actually have some really strong evidence. We are consistently getting a monthly drug disposal rate of 16 per cent.

“That means 16 per cent of the people coming through our doors in Brisbane and Burleigh are throwing away their drugs because of the results of the chemical analysis.

“Another amazing figure is that 23 to 25 per cent of people who come through say they will use a lower dose after talking to our staff.

“That means 40 per cent of people using our service are either chucking their drugs in the bin or using much less. I can’t think of another drug intervention that is that effective.”

Mr Francis said the controversy around drug testing was similar to that surrounding safe sex back in the 1980s, when vending machines dispensing condoms were removed from Griffith University under the leadership of then-Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

He said, while awareness and education was important, removing interventions that reduced harm only hurt people – whether they were having sex or using drugs.

“We are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,” he said.

“Of course you want to focus your energies at the top of the cliff to stop people from going over, but do you really want to remove that ambulance at the bottom if they do?

“We do everything in our power to encourage those who see us to make a different decision, and at Schoolies our staff are really experienced in adolescent and youth mental health.

“They are also really effective in raising that anxiety for the school-leavers, if someone walks in feeling flippant about drug use, they won’t by the time they leave.

Loop CEO Cameron Francis: “We are worried about MDMA right now. There’s a bit of evidence out of the UK that the purity has been extremely high.”

“This week we’ll also have addiction medicine or psychiatric specialists on every shift so that if we get anything complicated, like underlying mental health issues or medication contraindications, we can consult with them. Bringing in a specialist doctor is quite a serious layer and resonates with teens.

“Quote often young people have some big questions and our medical officers can help them unpack that.

“The expectation at Schoolies for students is to go wild and they don’t always make the best decisions in that moment, so we see ourselves as that last-stop circuit breaker. Sometimes a breather, a moment to sit and think about it, is what’s needed.”

Mr Francis said the drug testing unit would be at the Schoolies Emergency Treatment Centre every day from 2pm to 6pm.

He said it would include a public-facing information stall with free earplugs, sunscreen and general education, and teens could access the drug-testing service inside the treatment centre.

“They’ll be greeted by a health worker who will get some basic demographic information, issue a standard disclaimer explaining the limitations of equipment and that no drug use is safe, and then we take them into the lab area with the chemist.

“We ask the person to provide us with some sample of the drug, the more the better, and we test that on the infra-red spectrometer to get the result.

“The health worker conducts a brief intervention, asking about medical conditions, mental health, medications, how experienced the person is who is using drug, whether they know what to expect, and explains the risks as well as signs of overdose and where to get help.

“For many, especially at Schoolies, this will be the first time they’ve spoken to a health professional about drug use. Most of them would still go to the GP with a parent, they’re still on the family Medicare card, this is their first chance to really ask questions.

“With about a quarter of people, we refer them to further support, most typically saying they should let their GP know about drug use, especially if they’re on medication for ADHD or anxiety/depression. If they’re worried about that, we have a list of friendly GPs where we can promise they won’t be judged.”

Mr Francis said one of the biggest issues was that people regularly over-estimated their dosage of a drug.

However, he said the team was on high alert for a number of concerning drugs this week.

“We are worried about MDMA right now. There’s a bit of evidence out of the UK that the purity has been extremely high, which has resulted in a number of deaths there over the last few months – and we tend to follow their trends,” he said.

School leavers celebrate during Australian 'schoolies' celebrations following the end of the year 12 exams on November 28, 2014 in Gold Coast, Australia. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“We’re worried that MDMA could pose a significant danger, especially in terms of dosage, it could be much more than people expect.

“There’s also an issue with ketamine analogues, which is like a synthetic ketamine but stronger and longer acting.

“If you use that and you’re essentially immobilised in a public place for hours on end, it’s not good.

“We’re seeing cathinone stimulants sold as MDMA or cocaine and that can cause people to stay awake for hours, end up overstimulated and anxious and it lasts a long time. It can feel like a super long panic attack.

“Our biggest concern is nitazine, which is a synthetic opioid. We haven’t seen it here yet but it is really potent and can kill.

“There have been a number of deaths in Victoria and New South Wales and it’s turning up in MDMA and cocaine so kids have no idea what’s happening and then it’s too late.”

Mr Francis said, despite the political firestorm, he was hopeful the drug-testing clinic would be back for next year’s Schoolies Festival.

In the meantime, he said the permanent testing sites at both Burleigh and Brisbane were proving effective.

“We started in Brisbane at the end of March and opened in Burleigh Heads in July. We chose Burleigh because the QuiHN site is there, but actually it’s surprising how much of a party suburb that Burleigh has become,” he said.

“But we really hope we can continue at the next Schoolies, when people see the outcomes and what we can achieve I think it’s pretty hard for the critics to continue.

“We’ve had really strong support from the police, they just want everyone to get home safe and they’ve seen the evidence.

“I know that every parent I’ve spoken to wants us here. If your child is at the point that they have bought drugs, they are planning on taking them, why wouldn’t you want them to get it tested? There’s a good chance that we’ll be the ones who stop and save them.

“If everything at the top of the cliff failed, don’t you want the ambulance at the bottom?”