Drug checking will return to selected NSW music festivals from October after the state government announced $4.3 million to continue the program.
The service was trialled at 12 festivals over the past year with more than 1,800 people visiting, and around 1,500 samples tested. NSW Health says the service will now be offered at up to 15 festivals each year.
People using the service can hand over a small sample of a drug for on-site analysis. Chemists test it, then NUAA peer workers speak with the person about what was found and the risks involved.
There are also amnesty bins in the drug-checking area for anyone who decides they do not want to take the substance after receiving their result.
What the trial showed
The trial was evaluated by researchers from the University of Sydney. Their report found people used the service in significant numbers, and that it was linked to fewer urgent drug-related hospital presentations and ICU admissions at participating festivals compared with previous years.
A key part of the service was giving people information when a sample was not what they thought it was.
Associate Professor Rose Cairns said people who received an unexpected result often said they would change what they planned to do.
“Drug checking is about providing people with accurate information before harm occurs. We found that when people received unexpected results, they frequently reported intentions to reduce use, avoid use, or discard the substance altogether,” shared Dr Cairns.
The evaluation was cautious about what the data could prove. Dr Jacques Raubenheimer explained it was not possible to say that every change seen at festivals was caused by drug checking alone.
“While the available data do not allow us to conclusively attribute every observed change to drug checking alone, the overall pattern of findings is encouraging,” said Dr Raubenheimer.
Health Minister Ryan Park said the decision should not be read as an endorsement of drug use.
“Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe and drug checking services are not a silver bullet,” said Park in a media release.
“There will always be risks involved when consuming these substances, and this initiative does not endorse drug use.”
The call for services outside festivals
The announcement has been welcomed by Unharm, an advocacy organisation focusing on drug policy, though the organisation says NSW should take the program further.
Dr Will Tregoning, Unharm’s chief executive, said the problem with a festival-only model was that it could not help people who used drugs in other settings.
“While we welcome the NSW Government’s acknowledgement today that festival drug checking works and should continue, festivals cover only a really narrow slice of drug use,” said Dr Tregoning in a statement.
He said drug checking should eventually be available at fixed sites in the community.
“These services shouldn’t be restricted only to people who can afford to attend festivals — they need to be expanded to community based sites in NSW.”
Unharm pointed to an analysis which found 73 per cent of MDMA-related deaths occurred in private residences, compared with seven per cent at festivals or dance parties.
So far, the state government has not announced community-based drug-checking sites. It seems the permanent festival program will be the next stage of NSW’s approach.
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