Following a “highly successful” start to their pill testing trial, the Victorian government has revealed that four more music festivals will play host to the exercise this year.

The government’s decision to continue their pill testing trial into 2025 comes following a rocky start in late 2024, where a punter at Victoria’s Beyond The Valley was hospitalised due to an overdose on the first day the trial.

Undeterred, the government continued to make their presence felt at music festivals, with more events now set to be a focus. As the ABC reports, the Hardmission Festival, Pitch Music and Arts Festival, Ultra Music Festival, and The Warehouse Project will also play host to pill testing when they’re held between February and April.

Per the ABC’s report, some of those very festivals have previously made headlines due to the occurance of fatal and non-fatal overdoses on the event grounds in the past.

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Pill testing has long been a contentious topic for state governments, though progress was made last year when Victoria legalised mobile pill testing in the state and announced that it would be rolling out trials over the summer.

While the new law does not legalise illicit drugs, it does however allow for mobile and fixed pill testing throughout the state, and means that those who use and operate such services are protected by law.

“We have made it clear since announcing this trial – these changes don’t make drugs legal, but by having pill testing services in place, we can help to keep more Victorians safe during busy summer festival seasons,” said Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt in a statement at the time.

Following the launch of the trial at the likes of Beyond The Valley, Stitt explained that the results were positive. After more than 700 attendees using the service (approximately 2% of the festival’s entire audience), with 40% later claiming they would use a smaller amount of drugs in the future, while one in six said they would discard their drugs entirely.

"The results from Beyond the Valley speak for themselves: pill testing does not encourage people to use drugs," Ms Stitt said. "It allows people to see what's really in their substances and make informed health decisions."

The Victorian government appears committed to their pill testing plans, with Stitt noting that another five festivals will feature the service next summer.