'A reckless decision': shock call on testing a bitter pill for North East MPs

Premier Jacinta Allan announced on social media on Monday evening, June 24, the drug checking will be trialled during summer, labelling it as "a simple and common sense way to save lives".

Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said pill-testing may make young people feel safe when they are not.

"Last time I checked, these drugs were illegal," he said.

"But pill testing tacitly condones this behaviour - it's in direct opposition to all policing principles and provides a false sense of security.

"I want young people to be safe but the advice I have is that this pill testing will be limited.

"It can't measure how strong a drug is, how an individual will metabolise a drug, or predict how someone will react to a cocktail of drugs and alcohol."

When asked by The Border Mail if he thinks pill testing could possibly help reduce strain on the health care system, he instead had concerns for those overdosing who are not at festivals.

"Paramedics deal with overdoses regularly," he said.

"The stats we have is that 549 people died from drug overdoses in Victoria last year - the worst year in a decade - 18 or about 3 per cent at music festivals.

"Of those who died about 400 were in the 35 to 54 age group, I don't imagine that's the music festival crowd - what's being done for them?"

A spokesperson for Tim McCurdy said the Member for Ovens Valley is not supportive of the trial.

"The Victorian Opposition does not support the introduction of pill testing in Victoria," they said.

"It is a reckless decision that gives parents and young people a false belief that testing illegal drugs for contaminants will make them safe."

They said the testing has many restrictions and education around drug use is instead what needs to be focused on.

"There are also significant limitations to onsite pill-testing, and it does not factor in how someone will react to a drug, or a cocktail of drugs," they said.

"Nor does a positive test prevent the drug being taken.

"Education is key to stopping festival goers from overdosing or consuming highly dangerous drugs.

"The important thing is that people remain safe whilst they are out, and make sensible decisions."

La Trobe University Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society senior research fellow Dr Adrian Farrugia said he felt "relieved" when he heard the news of the trial.

"Drug checking services have the potential to be genuinely life saving and so to finally have them trial and potentially established in Victoria is great news," he said.

Although it has not been announced where the trial will be taking place, Dr Farrugia said regional areas like the North East should not be excluded.

"It's essential that any regional area like Wodonga and Wangaratta has access to the same kind of healthcare and social services that other parts of the country have, including metro areas," he said.

"So drug checking services should really be available in these areas as well."

He suggested mobile sites should be used to travel to the area for drug checking, but other issues including higher alcohol consumption in regional areas should also not be pushed to the side.

The researcher said the impact of drug checking goes beyond an individual event, as the public can also be notified of potentially dangerous batches of drugs being circulated.

The testing also provides an opportunity for nonjudgmental education.

"These kinds of interactions are also an opportunity for the worker to provide information about other potentially relevant drug services and other kinds of support," Dr Farrugia said.

"I think that's important because these services might be used by people who actually aren't really connected to the drug kind of health sector at all.

"So it might be the first time they've actually spoken to a professional about these kinds of things."

Gateway Health was contacted for comment, but said it would not be making a statement until more information about the pill testing was released.

* An 18-month trial of pill testing in Victoria

* Mobile service will be rolled out at up to 10 music festivals and events from the 2024/25 summer

* A fixed site will open in mid-2025 and be located in an inner Melbourne area close to nightlife and transport

* Victorian taxpayers will pay about $4 million for the trial

* Pill-testing, also known as drug checking, tests the chemical content of illicit drugs

*Staff disclose and discuss the drug's contents so users can make a more informed decision

*Users won't be told the drug is safe to consume and will instead choose to discard or use them

* The Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act will be amended later this year to allow the trial and legally indemnify services, staff and clients

*Possession and supply of illicit drugs will not be decriminalised

*Police powers outside the service won't change but the government plans to consult with the force and other authorities to establish a "feasible arrangement" so people aren't deterred from using the service

Pill testing will be offered at a number of music festivals.

* The Victorian government says at least 31 drug-checking programs operate across the world and Australia

*Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in July 2022 after the ACT previously ran mobile sites in 2018 and 2019

*Queensland opened a permanent drug-checking service in Brisbane in April 2024 after a pill testing service was set up at Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival earlier that month

*NSW also opened a drug-checking service at Sydney's supervised injecting room in April 2024 but the state government has resisted pill testing at music festivals

*Five Victorian coronial recommendations since 2021 have pushed for drug-checking services to reduce the risk of overdose deaths

*Sites for the mobile services and fixed service are yet to be determined

*The trial will test different delivery models before the service is made permanent