Yours and Owls 2025 is still waiting on final approvals from Wollongong City Council, but the NSW Government has selected it to take part in a pill testing trial. Photo: Ian Laidlaw, Yours and Owls.
Yours and Owls will be the first music festival in NSW to be part of a new pill testing trial.
The NSW Government announced the trial on Wednesday (19 February).
Minister for Health Ryan Park reiterated that illicit drugs remain illegal in NSW, and there will always be risks involved when consuming these substances.
He said the announcement was not an endorsement of illicit drug use, but a way to help people make safer choices.
The trial will connect festivalgoers with qualified health staff who can provide harm reduction advice.
“Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe and pill testing services do not provide a guarantee of safety,” he said.
“There will always be risks involved when consuming these substances.
“However, this trial has been designed to provide people with the necessary information to make more informed decisions about drug use, with the goal of reducing drug-related harm and saving lives.
“Illicit drug use remains illegal in NSW. These services will not be made available to suppliers and police will continue to target them.”
The free and anonymous service allows festivalgoers to bring a small sample of substances they intend to consume to be analysed by qualified health staff to test for purity, potency and adulterants.
The pill testing service will be staffed by peer workers, health workers and analysts who will clearly communicate the limitations of drug checking to festivalgoers.
People will never be advised that a drug is safe to use.
They will be advised that all drug use carries risks, and that the only way to avoid this risk is to not consume drugs.
Where needed, staff at the service can provide patrons with referral to health and welfare services available at the event or in the community.
NSW Health and NSW Police are working closely with festival organisers and other stakeholders to ensure safe and effective implementation of the trial at these events.
Ben Tillman, of Yours and Owls, said organisers were delighted the government chose to run the trial at their event.
“Pill testing is something we have been fighting for some time now,” he said.
“While Yours and Owls maintains a zero-tolerance policy to illegal drugs, we are realists and see the abstinence-only approach as unhelpful.
“Pill testing is not a panacea; however, it is a proven harm minimisation strategy and has been successfully implemented in many countries overseas for the past 20 or so years.
“Ultimately, we ask individuals to take responsibility for themselves and their decision-making to ensure they have a great time safely.
“We also encourage anyone who finds themselves or their mates in trouble to seek medical assistance immediately; there will be no judgment – you won’t get into trouble. Patrons need to remember their safety and that of their mates is the most important thing.”
The government is working with other festivals on their prospective participation.
The trial will operate alongside other harm reduction and medical services at the participating festivals.
It will run for 12 months and will be independently evaluated.
The trial comes after the government’s Drug Summit that concluded in early December.
The Drug Summit co-chairs provided interim advice recommending a trial of music festival-based drug testing.
Original Article published by Zoe Cartwright on Region Illawarra.
