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charged or have their drugs seized
for accessing assistance. Without
assurances from Victoria Police,
there is a real possibility that
individuals who seek to have their 2
drugs tested at festivals will be
charged with possession. This is
yet another barrier to pill testing
this festival season.

THE LIGHT AT THE
END OF THE TUNNEL

Clearly, there is a need for a
major shift in political thinking
in regard to pill testing. Luckily,
there is a glimmer of hope on the
horizon. REVIEWING THE
EFFE CTIVENESS OF
Publicity regarding recent VICT ORIAN
festival deaths has put pill testing
and harm reduction policies back GO VERNMENT
on the political agenda. INVESTMENT INT O
ILLICIT DR UG
In Victoria, a new parliamentary SUPPLY REDUCTION,
inquiry has been announced
which includes a review of harm DEMAND REDUCTION
reduction and drug detection AND
policies. HARM REDUCTION

Festival organisers and STRATE GIES AND
prominent musicians are also PR OGRAMS;
strongly backing pill testing,
keeping the topic in the media.

Public opposition to pill testing
is coming largely from an older
demographic. A survey of young
people between the ages of 16 and
25 years old found that more than
82% of those surveyed support pill
testing. Governments may be able REF.ERENCE
1. LLOYD, B., MATTHEWS, S., GAO,
to get away with inaction for C.X., HEILBRONN C., & BECK,
the moment, but not for much D ‘AMBO PROJECT – ALCOHOL
longer. AND DRUG RELATED
AMBULANCE ATTENDANCES:
TRENDS IN ALCOHOL AND
DRUG RELATED AMBULANCE
With continued agitation, and a ATTENDANCES IN VICTORIA Drug
2013/14.’ (2015)
bit of political leadership, there is
a strong prospect that pill testing FITZROY: TURNING POINT
ALCOHOL AND DRUG CENTRE.++
will become a mainstay of festivals 2.PROJECT KNOW, JAGGED
in the near future. LITTLE PILL:
3.IP SPRUIT ‘MONITORING
SYNTHETIC DRUG MARKETS, Checking
TRENDS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH.’
(2001) SUBST USE MISUSE 36(1-
2):23-47. UNDERSTANDING THE
CONTENTS OF 27,000 ECSTASY
PILLS (2015).
4. KRIENER H. ‘AN INVENTORY
OF ON-SITE PILL-TESTING
INTERVENTIONS’ (2001),
EUROPEAN MONITORING (Pill Testing)
CENTRE FOR DRUGS AND DRUG
ADDICTION, PORTUGAL.
TO R 2 : D R U G C H EC K I N G / P I L L T E S T I N G 3 9

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