Calls for the increased presence of drug amnesty bins at music festivals have been renewed by Harm Reduction Victoria, Fairfax reports.
Theoretically, the bins would allow punters to dispose of the drugs before facing sniffer dogs or other law enforcement. That means anyone holding illicit substances could possibly avoid the dangerous ‘panic response’ of ingesting unusually large quantities of drugs on the spot.
Recently, similar bins were used in Western Australia outside Southbound Festival.
#SouthboundWA this weekend. Police drug op will be active. Stay safe – Use the Drug Amnesty bin #fb pic.twitter.com/mdziQa1BUy
— Busselton Police (@BusseltonPolice) January 6, 2016
The new push comes only a week after Victoria Police called for Rainbow Serpent Festival to be examined due to punters committing a raft of drug-related offences. Of course, that festival’s organisers have also been going hell for leather in trying to implement drug-testing on site.
Bill O’Loughlin of HRVic said the measures aim to counteract “a frightened impulsive reaction at the sight of the dogs,” and wouldn’t interfere with usual police activity. Read: they’d only be set up to stop festival-goers from overdosing unnecessarily.
What’s more, Australian Drug Foundation chief John Rogerson said he’d be in favour of giving the bins a test-run, saying “I’d certainly be supportive of trying to see whether it works.”
On the other hand, the Government’s response. Despite supporting an investigation into illicit drugs, Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said punters shouldn’t expect to see the bins any time soon.
Previously, New South Wales’ Premier Mike Baird commented on his own state’s track record at music festivals, while championing a review into the festival permit system with the goal of weeding out organisers who fell foul of the law.
