Australian Greens announce plans for Federal expansion of drug checking to help save lives.
The Australian Greens are announcing a plan to establish a drug testing agency that would run a number of drug testing sites in capital cities and regional hubs and provide free testing services at Australian music festivals. This also includes additional funding to the Department of Health and AgedCare to coordinate data collection, analysis and communication of results of the drug tests.
Large numbers of Australians have consumed or actively consumed alcohol and other drugs with nearly half of the community using an illicit substance at some point.
13.6% of Australians aged 14 and over have used MDMA/ecstasy, which is the most common drug present at existing pill testing sites.
Drug checking and pill testing is a common sense and health based approach to minimise the risk of drug use and has the support of the public health sector including the Public Health Association andAustralian Medical Association.
Quotes attributed to Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens Spokesperson for Health and Mental Health
“Nearly half of our community has taken an illicit substance at some point in their life and the use of these drugs in our community is inevitable, it is our job to minimise risk and harm not criminalise and stigmatise.”
“At the moment the biggest danger facing young people using drugs at festivals isn’t the substance itself but a failure of government policy that doesn’t allow people to be able to check what is in that drug and access education and medical services when needed.”
“We have a system designed to criminalise and stigmatise people who take drugs in our community which has led to tragic outcomes. It is time we listen to the community and the experts and implement common sense approaches to minimise harm and risk.”
“The Greens plan will see drug testing sites set up in capital cities and regional hubs across the country through the establishment of a federal drug testing agency. This agency would also be responsible for providing free testing services at music festivals.”
“Nearly half of our community has taken an illicit substance at some point in their life and the use of these drugs in our community is inevitable, it is our job to minimise risk and harm not criminalise and stigmatise.”
“At the moment the biggest danger facing young people using drugs at festivals isn’t the substance itself but a failure of government policy that doesn’t allow people to be able to check what is in that drug and access education and medical services when needed.”
“We have a system designed to criminalise and stigmatise people who take drugs in our community which has led to tragic outcomes. It is time we listen to the community and the experts and implement common sense approaches to minimise harm and risk.”
“The Greens plan will see drug testing sites set up in capital cities and regional hubs across the country through the establishment of a federal drug testing agency. This agency would also be responsible for providing free testing services at music festivals.”
