Berejiklian Rules Out Pill-Testing Even If Drug Safety Panel Recommends It

Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian has ruled out considering pill-testing at festivals, even if is put forward as a solution by a “high-level expert panel” being put together to advise the government on how they can make music festivals safer.

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In a press release today, the premier’s office said that the panel would consist of Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant, and Chair of the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority Philip Crawford. Specifically, the panel is to provide advice to the government on whether new and harsher drug laws should be introduced; what festival organisers and promoters can do to reduce drug-related deaths; and whether improved drug education is necessary.

The panel comes after two deaths from suspected drug overdoses at electronic music festival Defqon.1 in Sydney over the weekend.

Speaking at a press conference today, Berejiklian said that her government had a “zero tolerance” policy on drugs, does not support pill-testing, and would not support it regardless of whether or not the advisory panel finds it to be a worthwhile idea. Berejiklian said that the government’s primary concerns were that having the pills tested could provide a false sense of security and that pill-testing is essentially the government turning a blind eye to crime. “I do worry about the slippery slope that pill testing provides,” she told reporters.

A study published earlier this year in the journal Harm Reduction found pill-testing to be effective in a number of different ways for reducing the risk of drug-related deaths and concluded that it should be integrated as part of a “wider harm reduction strategy” for Australia.

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