Labor police spokesman Shane Broad says pill testing is a ‘Green stunt’

An architect of Australia’s first and only pill testing trial says Tasmanians deserve better than the major parties rejecting a Greens Bill that would allow drug analysis at events.

Labor’s police spokesman Shane Broad labelled the Greens’ pill-testing push a “stunt to become relevant”. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

AN architect of Australia’s first and only pill testing trial says Tasmanians deserve better than the major parties flat-out rejecting a Greens Bill that would allow drug analysis at events.

The Greens’ Misuse of Drugs Amendment (Drug Analysis) Bill 2018 will fail when debated on Wednesday as it does not have the support of Labor or the Government.

The legislation had earned the support of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Council, the Youth Network of Tasmania and several lawyers groups, and was drafted in consultation with the consortium that held a pill testing trial at a Canberra music event earlier this year.

MORE:

POLICE, LIBERALS OPPOSE GREENS’ PILL TESTING BILL

COMMUNITY GROUPS SUPPORT PILL TESTING PUSH

ALISON LAI: WE CAN’T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE DIES

Opposition police spokesman Shane Broad would not be drawn on whether Labor supported pill testing generally but said his party would vote against the Greens’ Bill as it was a “stunt”.

“It’s poorly drafted, poorly thought through and it’s part of a stunt to become relevant as we lead into the summer break,” Dr Broad said.

STA-SAFE representative David Caldicott.

Safety and Testing and Advisory Service at Festivals and Events member David Caldicott said the Greens had worked closely with his expert-led consortium while drafting their legislation.

Dr Caldicott, an emergency medicine consultant in the ACT, said STA-SAFE had not only uncovered two potentially deadly pills while testing drugs at the Groovin the Moo festival but gathered information for health authorities on which new illicit drugs were on the market.

“People who pay politicians’ wages are entitled to know why they’re ignoring the evidence and the science and just saying ‘nah’,” Dr Caldicott said.

“This is not a political stunt, this is public health 101.”

Health and Police Minister Michael Ferguson said people should only take drugs “prescribed by a doctor and provided by a pharmacist”.

“To do anything other than that is to be a quality control agent for drug pushers,” Mr Ferguson said.

The Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council chief executive Alison Lai said it would continue to work with the Government, festival organisers and the community on securing a pill testing trial in Tasmania.

“We … stand by our view that concerns regarding how pill testing is perceived alongside law enforcement can absolutely be resolved and we will continue to challenge the misconceptions that pill testing encourages drug use or supports drug dealers,” Ms Lai said.