Harm Reduction Australia flags possible ‘trust’ issues in NSW pill testing trial at Yours and Owls festival

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Harm Reduction Australia flags possible ‘trust’ issues in NSW pill testing trial at Yours and Owls festival

NSW has launched its very first pill testing trial, but one key issue could be stopping festival goers from participating in the controversial health measure designed to prevent drug overdose disasters.

The NSW government trialled pill testing at the Yours and Owls festival over the weekend, but the trial appears to have delivered a much reduced sample size of tested drugs compared to similar trials in Victoria.

About 80 drug samples were tested across the two-day festival, according to NSW Health, with 103 patrons visiting the service out of the estimated 30,000 attendees.

This was compared to more than 600 samples tested at Victoria’s Beyond the Valley festival a few months ago, which had an estimated 35,000 attendees, according to media reports.

The NSW trial was run by the government, whereas trials in Victoria have been handed off to non-government entities.

Harm Reduction Australia president Gino Vumbaca told NewsWire a “trust” issue might have prevented more festival goers from engaging with the service.

“Some of the statements made by the government prior to it, just highlighting there will be sniffer dogs and police will be there, and it’s ******** to carry drugs, but come and use our pill testing service, probably didn’t help, or engender a lot of confidence,” he told NewsWire on Monday.

Camera IconOne in 10 drugs tested at Yours and Owls festival were different to what festival goers thought they’d purchased. Danielle Smith / Newswire. Credit: NCA NewsWire

“But it’s hard to know (for sure). You’d have to speak to the people there.”

He said in his experience, clients felt more comfortable interacting with NGOs than the government.

“Government agencies include the police and we’re talking about people using illicit substances,” he said.

“There’s a level of trust about government and non-government.

“We congratulate the government for introducing pill testing, it’s great.

“But there are experienced organisations who can deliver it.”

But despite the reduced numbers, the NSW trial looks to have protected some festival goers.

About one in 10 drugs tested in the trial were different to what festival goers thought they’d purchased, the government said.

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Peer workers, health workers and analysts worked to test small samples of substances brought in by festival goers for purity, potency and adulterants as part of the free and anonymous service at Yours and Owls over the weekend.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, speaking with 2GB on Monday, said while feedback on the trial had been good, he didn’t “want to get ahead of ourselves”.

“If it’s helped one person, then to be honest it’s probably a success from my perspective,” Mr Park said.

The main drugs detected at Yours and Owls were MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine and ********.

The NSW Health data found more than one in 10 drugs tested were either not what festival goers thought they’d purchased, or the results were inconclusive.

“The Forensic and Analytical Science Service is performing confirmatory testing on all samples collected,” a NSW Health spokesman said.

However nearly 90 per cent of the drugs tested matched what patrons were expecting.

“There were drugs discarded and they were mainly discarded because they were not what the person had purchased or originally thought that they’d purchased,” Mr Park said.

Mr Park said festival goers signed a waiver to understand the testing was “not a free pass” and didn’t mean that taking the drugs was safe.

“What we’re there saying to them is ‘This is what we found, this is what the substance is these are the potential harms that we know, this is the way you can reduce that harm’,” Mr Park said.

“‘We prefer you not to take it and not to use it, but this is essentially what is in the substance that you’ve purchased’.”

No drug warnings were issued during the festival.

“No critical drug related harm events were reported to NSW Health at the Yours and Owls Festival,” a NSW Health spokesman said.

The trial was received positively by most people who used the pill testing service, according to the spokesman, with the majority of people rating the information provided and service as “very good”.

Most people also reported feeling “very confident” in being able to reduce drug related harm following the use of the service.

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NSW Premier Chris Minns delivered the trial to “reduce harm and save lives”.

The decision to implement the trial was a “real challenge” for Mr Park.

“This is a challenge for me because I know the harms of illicit drug use,” Mr Park said.

“But where I got to was after speaking with parents of young people who have passed away, they said that the reality is this is what … young people are doing at times at these festivals, and they really just wanted to make it as safe as possible.”

Mr Park emphasised illicit drug use remained ********, and pill testing services would not be made available to suppliers.

However, he said he’d been advised the trial at Yours and Owls “helped patrons make safer choices by connecting them with qualified health staff who can provide information along with harm reduction advice”.

“NSW Health and NSW Police have worked closely and will continue to work closely with festival organisers and other stakeholders to ensure safe and effective implementation of the trial at future events,” Mr Park said in a statement.

“The trial will operate alongside other harm reduction and medical services at the participating festivals.

“I’m very grateful for all the staff at the Yours and Owls festival, the DanceWize peers and NSW Health staff who helped to deliver this important intervention, providing vital health advice and looking out for all the festival goers.”

The Wollongong festival, headlined by Fontaines D.C, Denzel Curry, The Kooks and the Goo Goo Dolls, welcomed the trial with open arms, with festival co-founder Ben Tillman earlier revealing he was thrilled with the government’s move.

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He said pill testing was something “we have been fighting for, for some time now”.

“While Yours and Owls maintains a zero-tolerance policy to ******** drugs, we are realists and see the abstinence-only approach as unhelpful,” Mr Tillman said.

“Pill testing is not a panacea. However, it is a proven harm-minimisation strategy that has been successfully implemented in many countries overseas for the past 20 or so years.

“Ultimately, we ask individuals to take responsibility for themselves and their decision-making to ensure they have a great time safely.

“We also encourage anyone who finds themselves or their mates in trouble to seek medical assistance immediately, there will be no judgment, you won’t get into trouble, patrons need to remember their safety and that of their mates is the most important thing.”

A mobile pill testing service is tipped to attend 10 festivals across Victoria during an 18-month trial, including Hardmission, Ultra and Pitch Music and Arts Festival, with a fixed-site service also slated to open in mid-2025.

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