Overview
In 2023, Queensland made history when it became the first Australian state to commit to pill-testing services not just ad hoc or at festivals, but on an ongoing and permanent basis. The Sunshine State's strategy is now being put into place, starting over 2024's Easter long weekend. Accordingly, festivalgoers at 2024's Rabbits Eat Lettuce will be able to use Queensland's first event-based pill testing service onsite.
The aim, at fests and in general, is to ensure that Queenslanders heading for a night out and to big music events can check their illicit substances for dangerous ingredients — and do so for free, voluntarily and confidentially. The state-funded sites are being established as a harm-reduction strategy, to minimise overdoses and other adverse effects resulting from party drugs. Exactly where in southeast Queensland the permanent locations will pop up hasn't been revealed as yet, but there'll be two venues.
As well as winning the tender for the initial pair of fixed-site spots, Queensland Injectors Health Network, The Loop Australia, and the Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy and Action will also provide at least one festival-based service this year. Harm Reduction Australia, which operates as Pill Testing Australia, will take care of several other pill-testing services at festivals in 2024 and 2025, capitalising upon its experience in Canberra at fests and at a fixed-site spot.
Indeed, Queensland's move comes after trials in Canberra, which has included Groovin' the Moo in 2018 and 2019. The Australian Capital Territory also launched the country's first fixed testing site as part of a six-month trial.
Drug checking has been used overseas since the 90s, but remains a controversial topic in Australia. Indeed, when Groovin the Moo conducted its first trial in 2018, calls to offer pill testing had been circulating for the prior two years, after a 15-year-old collapsed from an overdose at the fest's Maitland event in 2016.
Rabbits Eat Lettuce, which takes place just outside of Warwick in Elbow Valley, experienced two deaths at its 2019 festival.
"In 2021, there were 2231 drug-induced deaths in Australia — the equivalent of five deaths a day. That's 2231 deaths too many, and we know this number will continue to grow if we don't act now," said Queensland Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Service Shannon Fentiman.
"I want to be clear that these services are all about harm minimisation; we don't want people ending up in our emergency departments — or worse, losing their life. They aim to make people aware of the dangers of taking illicit substances, influence behaviour and, ideally, reduce their use of substances," Fentiman continued.
Dave Byrne
For more information about pill testing in Queensland, head to the Queensland Government website.