Key Points
- Victoria’s first pill testing trial took place during the Beyond the Valley New Year’s Eve festival.
- Staff tested more than 600 samples and spoke to more than 700 festivalgoers, mainly in their late teens and early 20s.
- Almost 40 per cent of patrons said they would use a lower dose of their drugs after speaking health professionals.
Australia’s largest festival pill-testing trial has been hailed a success by the state’s health minister, with the service’s boss calling for it to be rolled out permanently.
The trial at the was the first time Victoria has offered pill testing. The festival took place in Barunah Plains, Victoria, and was held over the New Year period, from 28 December to 1 January.
Partygoers were able to anonymously drop off pills, capsules, powders, crystals and liquids with experts who tested them for harmful chemicals before they were counselled on the risks of consumption.
Cameron Francis, chief executive of non-profit The Loop Australia, who ran the trial, said they had “people lining up waiting” to have their drugs tested “well before we were ready to open”.
What did the trial show?
Healthcare staff spoke to more than 700 festivalgoers, mainly aged in their late teens and early 20s, and tested more than 600 samples.
MDMA, ketamine and cocaine were the most frequently tested drugs.
Francis said that the service did not discover any highly dangerous substances that would necessitate a public alert.
However, there were instances of lower-level detections where one drug had been being sold as another substance.
Almost 40 per cent of patrons said they would use a lower dose of their drugs after having a conversation with health professionals testing their substances, according to preliminary data.
Among those were multiple instances of patrons prescribed antidepressants seeking advice about MDMA, which Francis said was a major risk combination that could lead to serotonin syndrome.
“It’s a really risky condition that can be fatal,” he said. In one example, a patron on antidepressants said they would not use the drug following the conversation.
Preliminary data indicated that for more than 70 per cent of patrons, it was the first time they had a judgement-free discussion with a health professional about drug and alcohol use.
Francis said the trial showed that those attending music festivals wanted pill testing services available.
Revellers at the Beyond The Valley festival, east of Melbourne. Source: Facebook / Facebook/beyondthevalley
“They’re really happy to come forward, they’re really hungry for information, and they’re hungry for advice,” he said.
Francis said Victoria’s first pill testing trial had better outcomes than trials run elsewhere, given the young crowd the Beyond the Valley festival attracted.
“Some of the younger crowds are maybe even more receptive to our advice as they tend to be fairly naive and relatively inexperienced using drugs,” he said.
“These preliminary insights have already highlighted that what starts as a simple drug check often evolves into deeper conversations about health and wellbeing — a crucial step in our harm reduction approach,” Victoria’s Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said
Criticism over trial from the Opposition
Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy said the program rollout was “botched” after an overdose on the first day of the festival.
A man in his twenties who attended the festival was treated for a drug overdose at Geelong Hospital, but no information was available on whether he used the service as revellers were not asked to provide their names or other details.
Two men were charged with drug trafficking at the festival, with police alleging two men were found with trafficable quantities of drugs during separate searches at Beyond the Valley.
A 28-year-old from South Yarra allegedly had 17 MDMA pills, four grams of cocaine and other pills on him, while a Rippleside man, 27, was allegedly found with 27 grams of cocaine and 15 grams of ketamine.
They were both granted bail and will face court in March.
Police had promised a highly visible presence at the festival but said officers would not be at the pill testing station unless responding to an incident, as it is not illegal to carry a small amount of drugs at a drug-checking service.
What next?
The trial is set to continue across 10 Victorian events during the 2024/25 music festival season.
Pill testing is legal in and the ACT, while NSW says it will in 2025.
