Author: Gideon Warhaft
Greens introduce Pill Testing Bill in NSW Upper House
Greens MP and spokesperson for drug harm reduction, Cate Faehrmann, has introduced legislation that would allow a trial of pill testing at music festivals and a fixed site across New South Wales in the Upper House today. Read more
Crossbench teams up on pill testing trial, as government says it’s open to cannabis discussion
Pill testing could be trialled over next year’s music festival season if three minor Victorian parties get their way on Thursday, a day after the state government announced it was open to talks about decriminalising personal use of cannabis. Read more
Pill testing to go ahead on-site at Spilt Milk festival in Canberra
Pill Testing Australia confirmed on social media that the free drug-checking service would be available at Canberra’s Spilt Milk festival on Saturday. The free, confidential service will be available to festival goers on the festival grounds from 11:30am. Read more
KnowYourStuffNZ Celebrates Two Years Of Legality
On November 25, KnowYourStuffNZ is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Act 2021. This Act made drug checking permanently legal in Aotearoa New Zealand, a world first.
Experts Have Renewed Calls To Legalise Pill Testing: Here’s How It Works & Where Things Are At
The Greens have renewed their calls for free pill testing, in an urge to the Victorian Labor Government to take up an offer to establish a free pill testing trial. It calls growing calls from all around Australia, as experts say pill testing is essential to saving lives. The offer was made by Harm Reduction…
Correspondence to Victorian Premier re Pill Testing
At an event at Parliament House today, PTA offered a cost-free trial of its public health based pill testing service to the Victorian Government – the offer is supported and endorsed by a variety of unions and organisations. Read more
NSW police sniffer dogs incorrectly detect drugs on patrons despite costing taxpayers $46m over past decade
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 June this year, 94,535 general and strip-searches were prompted by the dogs but nearly 75% of these searches yielded no illicit drugs. Read more
Urgent warning reignites calls to fix serious problem affecting young Aussies
Dr David Caldicott, Clinical Lead for Pill Testing Australia and CANTest, who provide festival and fixed-site health and drug checking services in the ACT, told Yahoo News Australia that Canberra has offered other states, like NSW, free trials. Read more
Debbie’s son overdosed. She thinks this state’s push for drug testing is a ‘no brainer’
The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), with the support of 77 health and community organisations, published a statement on Monday pushing for the Victorian government to implement a drug-checking service and early warning system in the state. Read more
Novel drugs are leading to rising overdose deaths in Victoria – drug checking services could help
Many of the harms people experience from using illegal drugs are a result of unregulated supply. Drugs may be contaminated, or completely substituted with something unexpected. They may also be of variable and unknown dosage or strength. Read more