Given the recent recommendations by the NSW Deputy Coroner, Pill Testing Australia have shared a short video which highlights the harm caused by preventing young people from having knowledge about the content of their drugs.

The one-minute piece produced by Sydney based Andrew McWilliam is titled “Don’t Leave Young People in the Dark” and shows a young person heading off to a music festival blindfolded.

“By providing pill testing at festivals we can start to remove the blindfolds and provide people with information that we know changes their behaviour” said Pill testing Australia spokesperson Gino Vumbaca.

“By engaging with people who use drugs and by providing scientifically backed knowledge, our pill testing services can achieve a reduction in the number and volume of drugs consumed and consequently reduce harm.” said Mr Vumbaca.

This is the second video produced in Australia for Pill Testing Australia in the last six months.

“We continue to be overwhelmed with the support for Pill Testing Australia by members of the Australian public who recognise the urgent need for this proven harm reduction strategy.” Said Mr Vumbaca.

“The fact that people are donating their valuable time and talent to assist us with advocating for best practice harm reduction keeps us motivated and driven to succeed.” 

After releasing a detailed operational report on the second Australian pill testing pilot conducted at Groovin The Moo in April, Pill Testing Australia has launched an advert to support and drive conversation around pill testing at festivals.

The advert, directed by Dylan Harrison from Hooligan Collective, shows a young man hesitating at the top of a cliff while his friends dive into the water below.

A labcoat-wearing woman appears beside the young man telling him that she can’t stop him from jumping but she can help him mitigate the risks by looking at “what’s inside.”

The scene then cuts to a pill testing tent at a music festival. The implication is clear: taking a pill without pill testing is like taking a blind jump off a cliff.

Pill Testing Australia spokesperson Gino Vambucca applauded the creativity of Dylan Harrison for producing a very relevant and strong community service announcement around the important harm reduction strategy.

“The fact that members of the Australian public like Dylan feel so motivated to play an active role in advocating for pill testing to be introduced, is incredibly rewarding for all the public health practitioners and volunteers involved with our work.” Mr Vambucca said.

“The Australian model of pill testing has been designed to interact with people who are about to consume an unknown substance, and this has been captured so poignantly by Dylan. We are looking forward to sharing his incredible work with our stakeholders and the general public through our social media platforms and website.” Mr Vambucca continued.

The pill testing report from Groovin The Moo shows that the free service for consumers tested 170 substances for 234 participants, twice the number tests conducted at the first pill testing pilot a year earlier.

Pill Testing Australia have released a detailed operational report on the second Australian pill testing pilot conducted at Groovin The Moo in April and are calling on state governments to support their service Australia wide.

The report shows that the free service for consumers tested 170 substances for 234 participants, twice the number tests conducted at the first pill testing pilot a year earlier. Seven dangerous substances containing N-ethyl pentylone were identified, with patrons being alerted to the dangers of the substance. On learning about the potential harms from the substances they possessed, all patrons used the amnesty bin to discard them rather than consume the substances as previously planned Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr David Caldicott oversaw the clinical team at both pilots in Canberra and said the overarching aim of the second pilot was to provide a health service to reduce the harms associated with drugs and to broadly diminish the health, social and economic costs of drug use. “Pill testing services offer a unique and efficacious opportunity to engage with young people and effect positive behavioural change to reduce the risk of drug-related harm. This cohort is unlikely to have ever had contact with health services in relation to their drug use.” Dr Caldicott said. In Switzerland, it has been reported that since the implementation of the pill testing service SaferParty in Zurich, there have been no ecstasy-related deaths.

The introduction of pill testing at one UK festival in 2016 occurred during a time when festival drug-related incidents in the UK were at their highest on record. The number of drug-related hospitalisations at this festival reduced by 95% from the previous year, from 19 hospitalisations to one. “There is no doubt among experts and health industry bodies that providing a pill testing service which includes face to face interactions for patrons with health and medical professionals significantly reduces harm and the consumption of dangerous illicit drugs.” Said Dr Caldicott. “With two pill testing pilots conducted in Australia having provided the data that supports this theory the onus really is on those who oppose pill testing to provide more than empty rhetoric to support their position.” Dr Caldicott continued.

The parents of 22-year-old Joshua Tam who died on 29 December 2018 at Lost Paradise music festival recently called for a change in harm-minimisation measures, saying the “just-don’t-do-it approach” to drugs was failing and that recreational use would not “magically disappear”. Jennie Ross King whose daughter Alex fatally overdosed at a Sydney music festival has voiced her support for the evidence-based harm reduction strategy and said the pill-testing debate was “getting beyond a joke” after she received a first-hand look at the logistics of testing at the Splendour in the Grass in July. Pill Testing Australia are the leaders in health and medical based laboratory grade pill testing at festivals in Australia. They are run by a group of volunteers passionate about reducing harm and providing important proven preventative health care. An independent evaluation conducted by the Australian National University will also be released later this year

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Available for interview: Dr David Caldicott – 0478 906 634 Gino Vumbaca – 0408 244 552

MEDIA RELEASE

Monday 29 April 2019
For Immediate Release

Second pill testing pilot in Canberra an overwhelming success

Pill Testing Australia has successfully implemented a 2nd Pill Testing Pilot at the Groovin the Moo Festival in Canberra

Preliminary key facts:

• The pill testing medical service tested substances for 234 participants, some arrived individually and some as groups, with a total of 171 samples being tested;
• MDMA was the prominent substance identified and to a lesser extent cocaine, ketamine and methamphetamines;
• 7 dangerous substances containing n-ethylpentylone were also identified, with patrons being alerted to the dangers of the substance. After learning about the potential harms from the substances they possessed they all used the amnesty bin to discard these drugs;
• Health warnings and safety information were provided to all patrons presenting at the pill testing service;
• The trial had the full support of Groovin the Moo promoters, the ACT Government, including Police & Health services, as a critical harm reduction measure;
• Feedback from patrons was overwhelmingly positive, with many participants saying that they would reconsider or take less of the substances they had in their possession;

Pill Testing Australia has today (28th April 2019) helped reduce drug related harm by giving young people access to pill testing services at a music festival. The 2nd pill testing pilot was again overwhelmingly successful by any measure but particularly by doing everything possible to keep patrons safe.

One key outcome of the pill testing service was its ability to work closely with ACT Medical Services at the festival.

Pill Testing Australia recognises that without the incredible work done by Steph Tzanetis, David Caldicott, Mal McLeod and their respective brief intervention, medical and chemist teams – the pill testing service offered would not have been possible.

Our thanks also go to the incredible wisdom shown by the Groovin the Moo promoters and the ACT Government (including ACT Police and ACT Health) in supporting Pill Testing Australia volunteers to provide more information to patrons to reduce harm from drugs.

Please Pill Testing Australia’s crowdfunding campaign at www.pilltestingaustralia.com.au  for pill testing pilots to take place across Australia.

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Well… hello, Australia!

My name is David Caldicott, it’s entirely possible that you may have seen or heard me harping on about harm minimisation in general and pill testing in particular over the last decade or so. If so, sorry about the prior intrusion and apologies again for this one but it’s important stuff!

Last year, on the smell of an oily rag and the goodwill of the ACT Government & Groovin’ The Moo, Pill Testing Australia conducted Australia’s first-ever government sanctioned pilot of pill testing in Canberra. We are back again this year- bigger and better – with our second outing on April 28th.

The support from the medical and scientific community for pill testing is pretty much unanimous, no matter what some Australian politicians would have you believe.

Over a dozen professional medical bodies, medical, nursing, paramedical and pharmaceutical now stand with us and 20 years of global data shows that shows pill testing reduces drug consumption and reduces harm.
We’ve committed to offer free pill testing trials for any state or territory in Australia and we’re asking for your help to deliver on this commitment.

Our first target is to raise $100,000 to help roll out more pill testing trials in other jurisdictions around Australia, and to buy a couple of schmick pieces of tech to do the testing (ALPHA II FTIR spectrophotometers). We also need the money to assist with logistics, resources and volunteer travel.
While $100k is a great start, if we can come together as a dedicated progressive community and raise a bucket load more, we can really take the fight to the those who oppose this initiative and get this essential harm reduction strategy implemented nationwide.

To donate and to find out more about Pill Testing Australia and our amazing team of volunteers click here – www.pilltestingaustralia.com.au

Big love
Dr David Caldicott