There is no doubt that drug testing works to reduce risk and save lives. Anonymous drug testing allows people of all ages to check their drugs and ensure that what they have bought is what they expect it to be – and not a deadly combination of drugs that could kill them and their friends.
The NSW Labor government has announced today that they have approved a second site for a drug checking trial, at the Midnight Mafia music festival at Sydney Olympic Park this Saturday (May 3), is another welcome step say Uniting but ‘it urgently needs to be accompanied by a statewide roll out of a permanent program across NSW – including a fixed site facility’.
‘This is another positive step for harm reduction in NSW and follows long-term advocacy by the community, Uniting NSW.ACT and partners of the Fair Treatment campaign,’ Emma Maiden, Uniting NSW.ACT’s Director Advocacy and External Relations said.
‘Giving people the opportunity to have a conversation with a health professional about the drugs they are planning to take helps them make more informed choices and saves lives. More people need the opportunity to be met with a health response. If one life is saved, this trial will be worth it.
‘Evidence shows these services have been highly effective at keeping people safe by reducing immediate drug use, preventing overdose and connecting people who use drugs with health services,’ Emma said.
This is supported by recently released results from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that support for harm reduction across Australia has never been higher. Specifically, there is majority support for drug checking (now at 64 per cent) and over four in five (83 per cent) people who had recently used drugs supported drug checking.
‘Families who have tragically lost loved ones to overdose at music festivals have been calling for these measures for many years here in NSW, and right across the country,’ Emma said.
‘Every life is worth saving. One life lost is one too many, especially when we know that overdose deaths are largely preventable,’ she said.
‘Drug testing is simple, proven and it keeps the people we love safe.
‘While we commend the government for today announcing the second location for this trial – we need to urgently implement an ongoing program for all festivals across NSW and a fixed site facility to provide this life-saving service for people who use drugs outside the festival setting,’ Emma said.
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