After the tragic passing of another teen at the recent FOMO music festival the last people you’d expect to be demanding for pill testing would be the family, but they have released a statement pleading for the premiere to consider pill testing.

19-year old Alexandra Ross-King sadly fell ill while at the Sydney leg of the festival and was rushed to hospital from a suspected overdose from an unknown substance where she passed away with family by her side. She is the 5th person to tragically die in just a handful of months following deaths at a number of music festivals including Lost Paradise, Defqon and Knockout Games.

Alex’s uncle Phil Clarke told Ten News First “Strong leadership isn’t always about sticking to an ideological decision or a position when there’s possibly mountain evidence or advice that maybe something else should be tried,” adding “Strong leadership is trying something different.” – some evidence to note was the successful pill testing trial last year at Groovin the Moo in Canberra, enough so that it satisfied the ACT Chief Health Officer to back it.

Denise Doig, Alex’s grandmother also told Ten News First “I just don’t want this to go, just pass by. I’d like this to have some legacy, and that is to get these pills tested,” going further by saying  “The reason I want the pills tested is, we’re not stopping them from being out there. adding “Premier, please: can we have this pill testing done. It’s such a small thing to do, it’s not hard. Let’s try and get it out there.” before finally adding  “If it saves one life — one life is a life. And these are children. In the news, they say ‘young woman’; to me, she’s still a child.”

The Ross-King family and friends join a chorus of voices pushing for pill testing including;

Australian Medical Association
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre
Former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Palmer
ACT Chief Health Commissioner Dr Paul Kelly
Independent MP Doctor Keryn Phelps
NZ Police Commissioner Stuart Nash
Music event and festival organisers
The Greens
European counterparts
UK Festival organisers
Majority of young people and live music patrons according to recent polls

There is already a group called STA-SAFE who will soon rebrand to Pill-Testing Australia who are ready to work with festivals around Australia but only when state governments change their views towards the scientific process.

NSW Premiere Gladys Berejiklian went on Sunrise, an early morning TV program with an older demographic to argue her case but was met with Kochie and a surprising case for pill testing when he outlined that testing removes some of the dangers and could save kids lives, watch it below.

“You’re not listening, they’re kids”@Kochie_Online takes on NSW Premier @GladysB over her dismissal of pill testing, which experts say will prevent drug deaths at music festivals. pic.twitter.com/a67EG4uHwR

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) January 13, 2019