Nearly two-thirds of Australian voters are in favour of pill testing, new study finds

According to new data collected via the Australian National University’s long-running election study, nearly two-thirds of Australian voters are in favour of pill testing at music festivals, The Guardian reports.

In a published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review, 63% of respondents were in favour of the harm minimisation measure and this figure included 33% of people who strongly supported it. Comparatively, 22% disagreed with the measure (including 13% who strongly opposed it). The study was conducted with 2045 respondents in 2019, not long after the federal election.

According to The Guardian, the ANU’s Ian McAllister and Toni Makkai said in the paper, "“The young and those who do not attend church are most likely to express support."

“Supporters of other liberal social opinions, such as the legalisation of marijuana, are also strongly supportive of pill testing.”

Further to this, the paper also highlighted the strong correlation between those who do not trust the government (now the majority of respondents) and being in favour of the measure, saying these people are "somewhat more likely to support pill testing."

Divisions as per what party respondents voted for were also evident, with respondents who did not support the measure more likely to vote for the Liberal party. People who voted for The Greens were found to be more supportive of the measure than those who voted for the Labor party.

Read the full story via The Guardian Australia here.

Words by Emma Jones

Image via DrugsFreeKidsCanada.org

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