High Demand For Pill Testing in ACT Sees Punters Turned Away

The ABC has reported that 27 people have been turned away from the new government-backed drug testing program in Canberra, CanTEST, ahead of the popular music festival Spilt Milk. 

CanTEST is an ACT program in its fourth month of a six-month pilot program intended to reduce drug-related harm. 

The drug testing clinic is usually open for three hours each Thursday and Friday, but ahead of the popular music festival Spilt Milk, the clinic decided to extend its opening hours.

Following the announcement of extended hours, researchers tested a total of 106 samples which was almost double the number of samples collected by the service in its first month. 

Despite the increased hours, the researchers did not have enough time and resources to continue testing, resulting in 27 people being turned away.

Bronwyn Hendry, director of Directions Health Service, which operates CanTEST, was disappointed that some clients were turned away, commenting: "We will be hoping to increase our operating hours further in the lead-up to other large festivals or events."

Overall the reaction to the drug testing clinic has been positive. One festival-goer spoke to ABC about testing her drugs ahead of the festival, explaining how grateful she is for the judgement-free opportunity for drug testing, allowing her to make an informed decision after learning the true contents of the drugs. 

"I think it's really important for people to be able to test what they've got because, obviously, pills aren't regulated, so you have no idea what you're getting," she said.

"I don't think the fact that you can get [substances] tested is going to make someone who's never wanted to do drugs before suddenly be like, 'I'm going to do drugs'.

"It's kind of a bit of a taboo topic because I've never really had a sort of open and non-judgemental conversation about drugs with adults and the [CanTEST staff] were really nice.

"They sort of explained, obviously, no drug is safe, and we can't guarantee it's completely safe, but here are your results." She explained. 

While the testing site was popular amongst punters, its popularity notably lessens within the political sphere. 

Chris Gough, executive director of the Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation & Advocacy, or CAHMA, said the issue is two-sided — one side being misinformation and uninformed community members, and the other being insurance.