Premier Jacinta Allan has confirmed that pill testing will be trialled at Victorian music festivals and events this summer.
The premier announced the move in a social media post last night, saying it was “a common-sense way to save lives”.
Experts have been calling for urgent pill testing reforms after eight people were put into induced comas following suspected MDMA drug overdoses at Melbourne’s Hardmission Festival in January.
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In the post, Allan said paramedics responded to more drug overdoses at festivals in the first three months of this year than during all of 2023.
“Let’s be clear, no drug is ever truly safe, but people deserve to know if that one pill will kill,” she said.
“And if someone’s asking for that information. And we have the power to give it to them, then why on earth wouldn’t we?
“They want a medical professional who can tell them exactly what it (the pill) is and exactly what is does.
“No judgement, just facts, honest, open, health-focused conversations.”
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Currently, Queensland and the ACT are the only states in Australia to have legalised pill testing.
Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews previously outlawed the practice, vowing it would never be introduced under his leadership.
Allan said watching her two children grow up impacted her stance on the issue.
“In a few years, they’ll be heading off to parties, to music festivals, and like all parents, I catch myself thinking – what if the worst happens?” she said.
“What if one of them doesn’t make it home?”
Dr Nick Coatsworth told Today he was a “big supporter of pill testing” but warned of the dangerous effects drugs can have on your body.
“It’s about time,” he said.
“I do want everybody to remember that even if your pill is all MDMA, it’s still very dangerous.
“You can still die from it. Pill testing does not mean we advocate you taking MDMA at a dance party, because it’s still it’s still a dangerous thing to do.”
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