Queensland Has Just Become the First Australian State to Introduce Pill Testing

In an Australian first, Queenslanders heading for a night out and to music festivals will be able to check their illicit substances for dangerous ingredients on an ongoing basis. The Sunshine State's government has announced that it is introducing pill testing for the first time — and not simply allowing it for one specific event, but permitting fixed and mobile sites in general.

The 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.

Groovin the Moo, Mackenzie Sweetnam

While protocols for pill testing in Queensland are still being developed, and a provider to oversee the service is still being sought, sites will be established as a harm reduction strategy — aiming to minimise overdoses and other adverse effects resulting from party drugs.

"Pill testing is all about harm minimisation; we don't want people ending up in our emergency departments or worse losing their life," said Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Yvette D'Ath, announcing the news.

Dave Byrne

"It is important to note that pill-testing services do not promote that drugs are safe; however, they are among a suite of options that can positively affect outcomes regarding illicit drug use. Pill-testing services will inform people what chemical substances are in their drugs. We know people make better decisions when they are equipped with unbiased information," the Minister continued.

"Drug testers can also influence a drug taker's behaviour, making them more likely to dispose of substances, decrease the amount they take, tell their peers and be more likely to seek help if they or others are experiencing adverse effects. The other benefit to pill testing is it provides critical information to law enforcement and health services about high-risk substances in the community or drug trends."

A timeline for rolling out pill testing in Queensland hasn't yet been announced either, and neither has where folks will be able to head to beyond music festivals.

But the Sunshine State has been reforming its drugs policies in general, including also newly expanding the Queensland's Police Drug Diversion program — which takes a tiered approach to minor drug-possession offences — to all types of illicit substances. The first instance now receives a warning and police referral to a support service, while the second and third involve mandatory participation in a Drug Diversion Assessment Program, with the fourth bringing a notice to appear in court.

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.

For more information about pill testing in Queensland, head to the Queensland Government website.