Injecting clinics pioneer wants to trial pill testing

A faith-based organisation that spearheaded injecting clinics in Sydney in 2011 has offered its services to a pill-testing trial.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks to the media in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

A faith-based organisation that spearheaded injecting clinics in Sydney’s Kings Cross in 2011 has offered its services to a pill-­testing trial should Premier Gladys Berejiklian reconsider her position on providing the service.

The NSW and ACT branches of the Uniting Church and its service arm, Uniting, have written to the Premier and called on the government to urgently act after a fifth person, Alexandra Ross-King, 19, died of a suspected drug overdose at a NSW music festival over the weekend.

In a letter to Ms Berejiklian seen by The Australian, Uniting executive director Tracey Burton said the time had come for NSW to launch a pill-testing trial and her organisation was willing to be an active participant.

“While I understand there are differences of opinions in society, the view among experts about the efficacy of pill-testing is that it won’t harm and will likely help,” she wrote last week. “I believe the recent deaths leaves us as a community with little ­alternative to do something.”

Ms Burton told The Aus­tralian yesterday the issue of people overdosing at music festivals needed a fresh solution and a pill-testing program was worth trialling: “It may turn out it’s not helpful but the overall experience is it does help to save lives.”

The Uniting executive said while pill-testing was controversial, she hoped a trial would gain traction among the community just like its “courageous and successful” injecting centre.

The Kings Cross clinic, the first of its kind in Australia and the English-speaking world, has supervised more than a million injections. There have been more than 8000 overdoses at the centre, but no deaths.

“It was very controversial in its day,” Ms Burton said. “There were concerns it would have a negative impact, but in time ­people have seen the benefit.’’