Queensland will implement a number of fixed and mobile pill testing sites throughout the state, becoming the first Australian state to do so. It follows a number of successful trials held in the ACT, including the six-month pilot of the CANtest Health & Drug Checking Service.
The Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Yvette D’Ath revealed the news in a statement over the weekend. The pill-testing sites will allow people to have illicit drugs tested to check for dangerous substances and chemical compounds.
Queensland Government Gives Green Light To Pill-Testing
“Pill testing is all about harm minimisation; we don’t want people ending up in our emergency departments or worse losing their life,” D’Ath said in a statement. “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.”
Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic said that people will experiment with drugs regardless of the heavy penalties in place, and so governments need more strategies in their toolkit to keep people safe. “The reality is people will encounter and experiment with drugs, including when they go to nightclubs or attend festivals – and these drugs can harm or kill,” Frkovic said.
“Queensland parents worried about their child potentially taking drugs should be reassured that drug checking can prevent serious harm and save lives.”
Pill-testing advocate David Caldicott told The Guardian it was a welcome decision, backed by plenty of evidence. “The evidence has always been there – we wouldn’t have been able to start it in the ACT without it,” Caldicott said. “This is no longer an evidence or medical question. This is almost exclusively an ideological or political decision that has to be made.”
Meanwhile, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet doubled down on his hardline stance against pill-testing and drugs, telling the public: “don’t take drugs and you will be safe”.
Further Reading
More Australians Now In Favour Of Pill Testing & Legalising Weed, According To New Survey
Party In The Paddock Have Submitted A Petition For Pill Testing To Be Trialled In Tasmania Next Year
NSW Police Commissioner Condemns Calls For Pill Testing In Official Statement
