Source : Perth Now news
NSW will roll out drug checking at selected music festivals from October after a trial found the service helped cut harm and reached people who had never before used health support.
The Minns Government has committed $4.3 million to continue the program at up to 15 festivals a year.
The decision follows a 12 month trial that drew strong use from festival goers and was linked to fewer urgent drug related hospital presentations and ICU admissions than in previous years at the same events.
An independent evaluation led by the University of Sydney found the free, anonymous service gave festival attendees a chance to have a small sample of a substance tested for purity, potency and adulterants before deciding what to do next.
Over the trial, more than 1800 people used the service and about 1500 samples were tested.
The program will be run by NSW Health in partnership with NUAA and the music festival industry.
Festival attendees who choose to use the service will be able to voluntarily submit a small drug sample for on-site analysis by chemists from the NSW Health Pathology Forensic & Analytical Science Service.
Qualified peer workers from NUAA will then explain the results and provide advice to help people make informed decisions about their health.
Amnesty bins will also be available in the drug checking area for people who choose to dispose of their drugs.
NSW Health stressed illicit drugs remain illegal and that the service is not an endorsement of drug use.
Instead, it is designed to reduce risk by connecting people with qualified health staff and peer workers who can explain the results and offer harm reduction advice.
Health Minister Ryan Park framed the move as a practical safety measure.
“Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe and drug checking services are not a silver bullet,” Mr Park said.
“There will always be risks involved when consuming these substances, and this initiative does not endorse drug use.
“Drug checking at music festivals can reduce harms associated with drug use, and it ultimately saves lives.”
The evaluation also found the service reached many people who had not previously engaged with health or harm reduction support, creating an opportunity to speak with them before drug use and reinforce that there is no safe level of illicit drug use.
It also found the service changed behaviour, particularly when test results showed a substance was different from what the person expected.
For families who have pushed for change, the announcement marks a significant moment.
Advocate Jennie Ross-King, whose daughter Alex died after taking drugs at a music festival, described the decision as the result of years of loss, grief and campaigning.
“The enormity of reaching this point is not lost on me,” Ms Ross-King said.
“This journey began with the most devastating loss imaginable, the death of my beautiful daughter, Alex, and has continued through more than seven years of grief, advocacy and repeatedly telling her story in the hope that someone would listen.
“Young people take risks, that is the reality of life, but they do not deserve to die because of one decision.
“This will go a long way towards giving young people the information they need to make safer choices and, ultimately, ensuring they come home safely to the people who love them.”
NSW Health will now consult with festival organisers and harm reduction groups to choose the events that will take part each year.
Those festivals will be selected based on factors linked to a higher risk of drug harm, including their type, size and location.
