Author: Gideon Warhaft

MDMB-4en-PINACA is a powerful synthetic cannabinoid that can lead to overdoses, even at low concentrations, and has been linked to serious harm – including deaths – in New Zealand. DMT is a psychedelic drug that produces effects similar to those of LSD.

The first of those trials of drug checking in Australia was conducted at the Groovin’ the Moo music festival in 2018, by a group that came to be known as Pill Testing Australia (PTA). The story of how that happened is discussed elsewhere (here) but “how” we do it is a matter of record. Read…

NSW Health has issued a public health warning after about 20 people suffered severe opioid overdoses in the Penrith area in the past month. An investigation revealed nitazenes were found in drug samples related to a cluster of overdoses reported in Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. Read more

Because of their potency, compared with natural opioids such as heroin or morphine, they can be much more addictive and more dangerous. In January, the chief executive of the nation’s only pill-testing venue in Canberra, Chris Gough, said the detection of nitazenes in pills sold as MDMA showed the need for similar services in other…

Queensland Premier Steven Miles toured the drug checking site before it opened for the first time. While he said police would continue to crack down on traffickers, the drug-checking site was all about harm minimisation. Read more

Managed by Pill Testing Australia, the event-based service at the festival drew in 257 festival-goers over the course of four days, offering crucial information about the substances they intended to consume. Pill Testing Australia medical lead David Caldicott hailed the festival a success and estimated drug samples from close to 10 percent of festival goers…

The Pill Testing Australia clinical lead David Caldicott said it was hard to know if the clinic saved lives in 2024, but pointed to the lack of a need for paramedics as a win for safety. Read more

“The success of QLD’s first pill testing service at the multi-day festival Rabbits Eat Lettuce (REL) would not have been possible without the leadership team”, comprising of Professor Malcolm McLeod (Chemistry Lead), Dr David Caldicott (Medical Lead) and Dr Penny Hill (Data Officer), said PTA’s Executive Officer Steph Tzanetis, who was the onsite Service Manager. This…

Pill testing results show service’s importance to health and safety

PTA runs Qld’s first ever pill testing service