Pill Testing to kick off for NSW Festivals Despite Government disapproval

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Pill Testing to kick off for NSW Festivals Despite Government disapproval

A team of Doctors are planning to set up pill testing stations at New South Wales festivals this year, despite the state government’s lack of support.

The team, lead by Dr. Alex Wodak, have admitted they plan to go ahead with pill testing in festivals with or without the support of the Mike Baird government.

Dr. Wodak says “The number of these deaths seems to be increasing, the number of the presentations to emergency departments of people attending these events is increasing, and it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Over the past 12-months there have been 7 deaths due to drug consumption in New South Wales festivals alone.

Wodak – a specialist in addiction and President of the Drug Law Reform Foundation – expressed that “people who test drugs at these events can find out that the drug that they’ve just bought is dangerous [and] would risk their life if they took it.”

“When people hear that they throw the drugs away… The current police policy, which relies on saturation policing with sniffer dogs, seems to have failed.”

NSW Premier Mike Baird – who has been under immense pressure of late concerning the lockout laws – disagrees with the need for pill testing stations, saying “in very simple terms that is an absolutely ridiculous proposal.”

“We’re in a position that we absolutely do not support that in any way. There is a very safe way to go about pills and that is don’t take them.”

Dr. Wodak hopes to raise $100,000 dollars to fund pill testing at one event, with the money ensuring the station is at a laboratory standard.

Would you utilise a pill testing station if there was one?

[Source: ABC]

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