Pill testing to go ahead at ACT festival

Another pill testing trial will go ahead at April's Groovin' the Moo music festival in Canberra after the ACT government gave it the green light.

A previous Groovin The Moo Festival.

A previous Groovin The Moo Festival. Source: Getty

The ACT government will allow pill testing at this year's Groovin' the Moo music festival in Canberra.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has given the green light for a trial at the event on April 28 at Exhibition Park, following a successful Australian-first trial last year.

He said governments have a responsibility to not only prevent drug use but also support initiatives that reduce harms associated with drug use.




"Pill testing does not make taking illicit drugs safe and our message to the community will always be, don't take drugs," Mr Barr tweeted on Monday night.

"However, pill testing provides a health intervention at the point when someone is making the decision to take a pill."

The decision was welcomed by the ACT Greens, which have been pushing for pill testing outside of music festivals.




"This commitment realises what we've known now for years--that pill testing saves lives," Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury said in a statement.


Share
Published 19 February 2019 7:56am
Updated 19 February 2019 9:12am


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world