The Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Meegan Fitzharris has declared the Territory’s first pill testing trial at a music festival last weekend a success.
Ms Fitzharris said the trial, conducted by independent consortium STA-SAFE, was successful and well attended, with around 130 patrons using the new service.
“This was the first pill testing trial to be carried out in Australia and enabled people who decided to take drugs at the festival to make more informed choices,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“Pill testing analyses the contents of drugs and can help individuals avoid taking unknown and potentially harmful substances.”
She said that of the items where an illicit substance was detected, most were MDMA but of particular concern were two items detected for the first time in the ACT.
She said one of the items was believed to be a novel NBOMe with psycho-stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. The other was n-ethylpentylone, a cathinone implicated in fatalities overseas.
“This information has been shared with ACT Policing and the Chief Health Officer,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“What these results show is that there is a demand for this service at events such as music festivals.”
She said it was dangerous to take illicit substances and the Government’s message to the community and young people remained that they should not be consumed.
“ACT Health will now work with STA-SAFE to evaluate the trial,” the Minister said.
“This will assist to better understand how pill testing may help reduce the harms of illicit drug use at festivals and will inform the next steps and future drug policy,” she said.
