Victoria to follow Queensland, ACT in trialling pill testing this summer
The move to trial pill testing comes after sustained pressure from the Greens, Animal Justice and Legalise Cannabis parties, upon whose votes the Allan government relies in Victoria’s upper house.
Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto has vowed to overturn the Allan government’s decision to fund pill testing should the Coalition win the next election, arguing the move gives a “green light” to dangerous drug taking.
Victoria will follow the ACT and Queensland in becoming the third Australian jurisdiction to allow pill testing, with Premier Jacinta Allan on Tuesday announcing that a trial will begin this summer.
Ms Allan said the trial would run for up to 18 months and include mobile and fixed site services.
“Pill testing is all about saving lives and changing people’s behaviour by giving them access to the health and safety information they’re asking for – and it’s needed now more than ever,” the Premier said.
She said Victoria had seen a rise in drug-related emergency department admissions and 46 overdose deaths in 2022 involving novel synthetic drugs, with the state’s paramedics responding to more drug overdoses at festivals in the first three months of this year than during the whole of last year.
“The global drug market is ramping up the production of illicit deadly synthetic substances with increased potency, like fentanyl and nitazenes,” Ms Allan said.
“It’s an implementation trial – not a trial for whether the service should exist long term. It’s about testing different models of delivery for an important health service that eventually will be in place permanently.”
A mobile service is expected to be running from the beginning of the summer festival season and attend up to 10 music festivals and events throughout the trial period, with a fixed, inner city site set to open in mid-2025, in partnership with a yet-to-be-contracted community or tertiary health provider.
Ms Allan said police and medical services at a UK festival had attributed a 95 per cent decrease in drug-related hospital admissions to pill testing services.
“In a 2022 study, 86 per cent of consumers in Portugal and 69 per cent in the UK didn’t consume the drug when test results indicated the drug was different than expected,” she said.
“No one using the service in Victoria will ever be told a drug is safe to consume. They’ll simply be told what’s in the drug and have a conversation with an expert about the consequences and choices they face.”
Mr Pesutto said that as alternative premier and a father, he could not support the initiative.
“We think strongly that this gives a green light to the taking of pills, and it also, unfortunately, lays out a welcome mat for those who will deal in pills and other drugs, who will see this as an invitation to only expand their activities at music festivals and other gatherings of young people,” he said.
Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy said the “reckless” decision to implement pill testing would give young people a false sense of security about illegal drug use.
“On-site drug testing has significant limitations. It can’t measure drug potency, predict individual reactions, or account for dangerous interactions with alcohol and other substances,” Ms Kealy said.
“The biggest risks to festival-goers are overdosing, mixing drugs and alcohol, and overheating. These critical factors aren’t addressed by pill testing.
“This announcement is clearly a distraction from Victoria’s health system crisis.
“While the Premier rolls out risky drug policies, our hospitals face record ambulance ramping, budget cuts, and slashed services.
“Labor can’t manage money and Victorians are paying the price.”
Announcing the new policy via social media on Monday night, Ms Allan said she and husband often think of their two children, who are currently in the upper years of primary school, “growing up and making their own decisions”.
“In a few years they’ll be heading off to parties, to music festivals and like all parents, I often catch myself thinking, what if the worst happens? What if one of them doesn’t make it home?” the Premier said.
“That’s every parent’s worst nightmare, and more parents are living it. Our paramedics responded to more drug overdoses at festivals in the first three months of this year than during all of last year.”
Ms Allan said she had been speaking about the issue with other parents.
“One of them put it simply: young people are smart and they want information. If their kids get handed a pill at a festival, they want a medical professional, who can tell them exactly what it is and exactly what it does, without telling them it’s safe,” she said.
“No judgement, just facts. Honest, open, health-focused conversations. That’s how we change young people’s behaviour and even reduce drug use. And that’s all pill testing is about. It doesn’t make pills legal, but it does keep people safe.
“It exists around the world, and the evidence says it works. This is a simple and common sense way to save lives. That’s why we’re going to trial it in Victoria this summer. I’ll have more to say this week about how it will work and the protections we’ll put in place.
“It’s time to give our smart young people the right information. And let’s be clear: no drug is ever truly safe, that people deserve to know if that one pill will kill. And if someone’s asking for that information, and we have the power to give it to them, then why on earth wouldn’t we?”
The initiative has been welcomed by key upper house crossbenchers from the Greens, Animal Justice and Legalise Cannabis parties, whose votes the government frequently relies upon to pass legislation.
In a joint statement, Greens drug harm reduction spokesman Aiv Puglielli, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell and Legalise Cannabis MP Rachel Payne said the decision had come after “years of pressure” from their three parties.
The MPs said the trial must include a mobile pill testing service for major music festivals as well as a fixed-site service for more detailed analysis year round.
“We need to see these services rolled out and running for summer so that we know we’re doing everything we can to keep young people safe. Every day that pills go untested, young people’s lives are at risk,” Mr Puglielli said.
“We know that young people are going to take drugs, whether that’s at raves, parties or festivals, and we know that there are dangerous substances circulating and by just having access to this service where they can simply be aware of the risks and dosage they’re taking, it can save their life.”
Ms Purcell said growing up and experimenting with drugs “shouldn’t be a death sentence”.
“But last summer festival season far too many young people ended up in hospital beds — or worse,” she said.
“This is sensible, evidence and health-based policy that can and will save lives.”
Crossbench MPs Aiv Puglielli, Rachel Payne and Georgie Purcell showing their support for a pill-testing trial by donning “speed dealers†at Victorian parliament.
— Callum Godde (@calgodde) June 17, 2024
“Growing up and experimenting shouldn't be a death sentence and we’re really hopeful that the premier acts quickly.†pic.twitter.com/Qpib8msjpX
Ms Payne said multiple experts, including coroners and harm reduction specialists, had called for a “harm minimisation, health-led approach” to preventing drug-related deaths.
“This is not about politics, as we have seen crossbench colleagues come together to call for reform. It’s about good policy that saves lives,” she said.
The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association commended the commitment.
“This policy commitment is based on a strong evidence base of what’s required to address escalating yet preventable drug related harms in Victoria,” said VAADA chief executive Chris Christoforou.
“It follows advocacy from health organisations, unions, legal services and industry bodies who jointly signed a letter in 2023/24 calling for a drug checking service in Victoria.
“Drug checking is fast becoming a necessary policy response to combat the increased public health risks that arise from illicit drugs. At least 31 jurisdictions around the world have established such services.
“These services provide a necessary early warning system against potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which in 2022 contributed to approximately 70,000 fatal overdoses in the USA alone.”
Mr Christoforou said the trial “could not come soon enough,” amid increasing rates of preventable overdose and the threat of potent synthetic opioids.
“Drug checking has been recommended by no less than seven coronial inquires. We look forward to supporting the development of this new service for Victoria, in conjunction with AOD sector experts, including people with lived and living experience of substance use who are likely to use this service,” he said.
Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick said he had always supported pill testing, but he was opposed to the trial being funded by taxpayers.
“If someone has the cash to pay for festival tickets and drugs, expecting taxpayers to pick up the tab for quality control is taking the piss,” Mr Limbrick said.
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Libertarian policy has always been to allow pill testing to happen, but we oppose the use of taxpayer funds to do so. If someone has the cash to pay for festival tickets and drugs, expecting taxpayers to pick up the tab for quality control is taking the piss. https://t.co/6Lo26PM09g
— David Limbrick MP 🌸 (@_davidlimbrick) June 24, 2024
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