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Wollongong’s Yours and Owls festival.

First NSW music festival to allow pill testing revealed

The announcement marks a major win for drug reform advocates who have long called for pill testing in the state. 

  • Michael McGowan

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Kerry Chant has raised concerns about vaping.

State’s top doctor raises alarm as Sydney vapers develop opioid addiction

Dr Kerry Chant pushed the premier to think beyond pill-testing after young Sydneysiders unknowingly inhaled synthetic opioids through vapes.

  • Daniel Lo Surdo
Beyond the Valley music festival.

Festival-goer overdoses on first day of Victorian pill-testing trial

Paramedics were called to the Beyond the Valley festival after a man in his 20s suffered a drug overdose.

  • Rachael Dexter and Marta Pascual Juanola
Acting Minister for Mental Health Mary-Anne Thomas, seeing sample drug testing with Jacob Fry senior chemist and Sarah Hiley drug checking director at the Beyond the Valley Festival.

What’s in that white powder? Inside Victoria’s first pill testing site

From this weekend, festival-goers will be able to get their drugs tested confidentially to make sure they are taking what they think they are taking.

  • Marta Pascual Juanola
Premier Chris Minns

‘Drugs are illegal’: Pill-testing trial will not stop arrests at festivals

Premier Chris Minns has conceded there is an “essential contradiction” in allowing a 12-month pill-testing trial while still expecting police to enforce the law.

  • Michael McGowan
Pill testing will be allowed at about a dozen NSW music festivals from 2025 in a major trial of the service.

Pill testing to go ahead at NSW summer music festivals

After years of calls for pill-testing services, a 12-month trial in time for the summer music festival season in early 2025 will be unveiled on Thursday.

  • Michael McGowan
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The Minns government is facing pressure from within its caucus to introduce pill testing ahead of the summer music festival season.

NSW Labor considering pill testing this summer

MPs including the parliamentary secretary for health have put their names to an open letter calling on their own government to overhaul drug policy in NSW.

  • Michael McGowan
Carmel Tebbutt, Michael Doyle and Ryan Park at the drug summit. 

Anger, frustration and revolt: Inside the final day of NSW’s drug summit

As the drug summit unfolded, it became dominated by the one topic the government wanted off the table: decriminalisation.

  • Michael McGowan and Angus Thomson
Portland mayor Ted Wheeler addresses the first day of the NSW drug summit.

NSW drug summit hampered by Minns government’s lack of enthusiasm

The outcomes of the NSW drug summit will most probably will reflect the Minns government’s lack of enthusiasm for reform.

  • The Herald's View
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Health Services Union boss Gerard Hayes.

Labor pushed on pill testing on final day of drug summit

The Minns government is facing a concerted push from powerful union leaders and MPs to adopt drug reforms such as pill testing and an additional medically supervised injecting centre as the drug summit resumes on Thursday.

  • Alexandra Smith, Angus Thomson and Michael McGowan

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/drug-reform-1lze