Inside Groovin the Moo's controversial pill testing facility as the festival prepares for second trial following horror summer when five young people died from overdoses
- A Canberra music festival is preparing for its second controversial pill testing
- The trial follows a horror summer where five young people died from overdoses
- Groovin the Moo will again host the testing facility at Exhibition Park on Sunday
A Canberra music festival is preparing for its second controversial pill testing trial following a horror summer where five young people died from overdoses.
Australia's second legal trial, conducted by Pill Testing Australia, will once again be held at the Canberra leg of Groovin the Moo at Exhibition Park on Sunday.
The controversial trial was finally given the green light, amid much controversy, by the ACT Government after the same festival hosted the pill testing facility last year.
A Canberra music festival is preparing for its second controversial pill testing trial following a horror summer where five young people died from overdoses
Inside the pill testing facilities at EPIC Showground ahead of the Groovin the Moo 2019 festival
At the first trial, 80 per cent of revellers who tested believed they were taking MDMA or ecstacy, but it was revealed less than half tests contained the drugs in pure form.
Activists have championed for testing to be allowed at all festivals, as five people aged 19 to 23 died at festivals in NSW over the summer festival season.
Doctors, chemists and consellors will be on site carrying out the second pill testing trial, which could lead to a change in drug policy, The Canberra Times reported.
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While police have issued a warning that anyone caught with drugs at the festival will be arrested, they have agreed not to target the pill testing area.
The facility will consist of a shared entrance with a health tent, so people outside won't know whether someone is accessing the pill testing or health services.
The process reportedly takes about 15 minutes to complete, which includes answering a questionnaire and signing a consent form.
Doctors, chemists and counsellors will be on site carrying out the second pill testing trial, which could lead to a change in drug policy
The process reportedly takes about 15 minutes to complete, which includes answering a questionnaire and signing a consent form (pictured)
If someone is eligible, a chemist will test their sample before a medical advisor tells them their results - and at no stage will anyone be told their drugs are safe.
But if someone is deemed to be too intoxicated, they will be referred next door to the medic tent, where they will receive first aid treatment from paramedics.
Harm reduction counsellors will also be on hand to talk to revellers about their drug use, and amnesty bins will be provided for people to dispose of unwanted drugs.
Anyone deemed to be too intoxicated will be referred to the medic tent, where they will receive first aid treatment from paramedics
As part of the testing process, revellers will also be able to access free lollipops and condoms
There are no restrictions on what kind of substance can be tested - only a small scraping is required to complete the analysis.
During the 2018 Groovin the Moo festival 129 people visited the makeshift testing facility and a total of 85 samples were provided.
The state government has encouraged other state and territory health ministers to visit the testing facility to see how it operates firsthand.
Harm reduction counsellors will also be on hand to talk to revellers about their drug use, and amnesty bins will be provided for people to dispose of unwanted drugs
There are no restrictions on what kind of substance can be tested - only a small scraping is required to complete the analysis
'Our agenda here is to ensure that people are as safe as they can possibly be,' ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr previously wrote on Twitter.
The second pill testing trial comes after a 24-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were found dead at Queensland's Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival on Monday.
Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame told news.com.au the tragic events in Queensland over the weekend highlight how serious the issue is.
'This is a really, really tragic public health issue,' she said.
During the 2018 Groovin the Moo festival 129 people visited the makeshift testing facility and a total of 85 samples were provided
The makeshift testing facility will be conveniently located next to a medic tent, where revellers can access first aid
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