With major music festival Party in the Paddock set to go ahead from this afternoon, the Greens are again calling on the Liberal Government to prioritise young people’s safety and introduce pill testing in Tasmania.
The evidence is clear: pill testing saves lives. That’s why it is supported by doctors, and has been rolled out in the ACT, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.
The Greens were proud to sponsor Party in the Paddock’s petition supporting pill testing in Tasmania. More than five years later, it’s deeply disappointing there’s still been no action from the government.
What is particularly frustrating about the Liberals’ inaction is that pill testing doesn’t take legislative change – it could be authorised at any time with the stroke of a pen. The reluctance to take this common-sense step is about nothing more than politics.
Opponents of pill testing say it promotes more drug taking, but that’s not true. The reality is that pill testing services are an opportunity for people to be directly educated about the risks of drug taking, and to receive life-saving information about what substance they would otherwise have consumed regardless.
Pill testing has already been shown to work successfully in other states across Australia. The government needs to start listening to the community and to medical professionals, who’ve been calling for this important harm minimisation measure for years.
It’s time for the government to take action to make sure young people return home safely from festivals like Party in the Paddock. It’s time for pill testing in Tasmania.
