The NSW Government’s $4.3 million drug checking services at select music festivals began this long weekend, with the Knockout Outdoor music festival on Saturday the first to participate.
NSW Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant said NSW Health is working with the music festival industry and harm reduction organisations to identify up to 15 music festivals per year where drug checking is expected to have the greatest public health impact.
The NSW Government reiterates that there will always be risks involved when consuming illegal substances and the provision of these services is not an endorsement of illicit drug use.
‘Drug checking services are intended to help people make informed decisions to reduce drug-related harm but they are not a guarantee of safety,’ said Dr Chant.
‘Our priority is to reduce harm and keep people safe.
Avoiding dangerous substances
‘Drug checking at music festivals aims to educate individuals, allowing them to avoid dangerous substances, make safer and more informed choices.’
Drug checking is one of several harm reduction strategies that were available for the Knockout Outdoor music festival, including medical services and peer-based harm reduction roving services, chill out spaces, and free water.
Dr Chant said the commitment to continue drug checking services follows the successful completed trial and independent evaluation where 12 festivals saw more than 1,800 individuals visit the drug checking services and around 1,500 drug samples tested.
Participating festivals will again be identified based on characteristics associated with a higher probability of drug harm, the type and size of the festival, and where the festival is located.
Drug checking will be delivered by NSW Health, in partnership with NUAA (formerly the NSW and Users and AIDS Association) and the music festival industry.
The service enables music festival attendees to voluntarily submit a small sample of illicit drugs to be analysed on-site by forensic chemists from NSW Health Pathology.
The results of this analysis are explained to service users by qualified and experienced peer workers from NUAA, who provide important harm reduction advice, allowing the service user to make an informed decision about their health.
Amnesty bins will be available within the Drug Checking space for service users to safely dispose of their drugs if they choose to do so.
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