NSW government to resume pill testing at music festivals but rejects calls for wider community rollout
The New South Wales government will resume pill testing at music festivals starting in October but has rejected calls for a broader community-based drug checking program. Despite the policy shift, police will continue to use sniffer dogs and conduct searches at these events.
Why it matters
The decision represents a compromise between harm reduction advocates and law enforcement, illustrating the ongoing debate over drug policy in Australia.
The ACT and Victoria have both moved beyond festivals to fund community drug checking, where staff provide people with the results along with non-judgmental health and harm reduction advice. The ACT and Victoria have both moved beyond festivals to fund community drug checking, where staff provide people with the results along with non-judgmental health and harm reduction advice. New South Wales NSW government to resume pill testing at music festivals but rejects calls for wider community rollout Use of sniffer dogs and searches will continue despite health and harm reduction groups arguing they could lead to riskier drug taking
Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in