‘Safe to consume’? Drug testing trial reveals tension between harm reduction and law enforcement

NSW Health tests the contents and purity of illicit drugs at music festivals in a trial, yet police continue the use of sniffer dogs on attendees using the service.

Midnight Mafia was the second NSW music festival to take place in the 12-month drug-checking trial Picture: Instagram

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A government-led drug checking trial at NSW music festivals has drawn praise from attendees who believed their drugs were “safe to consume” but who still felt pressure to quickly take or discard their substances due to fear of police.

Users of the pill testing trial had to smuggle illicit drugs past police, who used sniffer dogs and conducted searches on attendees who used the service, punters told The Australian.

Facilities run by NSW Health on Saturday at Midnight Mafia, an electronic music festival, tested 115 samples of drugs – mostly MDMA and cocaine.

Drug-checking facilities at Beyond The Valley festival in Victoria. Picture: Alison Wynd

Midnight Mafia was the second festival to participate in the 12-month trial which started with Yours and Owls Festival in Wollongong.

The majority of drug samples matched attendees’ expectations, with one user finding his MDMA “had a purity of 60 per cent with a few other chemicals … commonly found in the drug”.

“Getting (my MDMA) tested didn’t have an impact on my consumption, it just meant that I knew what was in it and that it would be safe to consume,” he said.

Harder Styles United, the company behind the Midnight Mafia event, said in a statement that the service aimed to help attendees “make more informed decisions”.

“It doesn’t tell you a drug is safe, but it can help reduce risks … We do not condone the possession or use of drugs at our events,” it said.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said “no level of illicit drug use is safe”.

“This trial is about helping festival-goers make more informed decisions about drug use with the goal of reducing harm and saving lives,” Mr Park said.

Police presence can discourage drug users from engaging with harm-minimisation services. Picture: NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

In a 2019 inquest into the death of six patrons of NSW music festivals, all were found to have died due to the toxicity or complications of MDMA use. Two of the deaths occurred after events produced by HSU.

An attendee of Midnight Mafia present at drug checking services said the police presence was “the biggest turn-off” for users wanting to engage with harm minimisation, as there was a fear of being targeted after exiting the testing service area.

Testing facilities were housed alongside harm minimisation and medical tents for user discretion.

“After I left the designated area, I was met by a large number of police asking me questions like ‘did you have drugs tested’ as well as ‘do you have anything you shouldn’t on you right now’,” another user of the services said.

The attendee was searched by police, but he had already quickly consumed his drugs as “then I knew I couldn’t be charged with possession”.

An amnesty bin is available inside the drug checking facility for those who wish to discard their substances.

Police and sniffer dogs had a strong presence at Field Day festival in Sydney earlier this year. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Harm reduction advocates argue that the presence of sniffer dogs at festivals pressures attendees to panic-ingest their drugs, putting them at greater risk. A report from December’s NSW drug summit urged the government to scrap sniffer dogs at such events.

NSW Police data shows that three-quarters of searches initiated by sniffer dogs over a decade to 2023, found no illicit substances.

Detective Superintendent Brett Van Akker said the police operation focused on “anti-social behaviour and alcohol-fuelled violence”.

“Prohibited drugs are illegal and potentially life-threatening, especially when combined with alcohol,” Superintendent Van Akker said

The drug checking trial is set to continue into 2026, with up to 10 more festivals to take part.