English
A petition to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, appealing for the introduction of pill testing as the summer festival season kicks off has fallen flat.
He was in no mood for a lesson on drug safety.
"I know they want me to change our policy today but I'm not going to do that. The truth is there's no safe quantity to take of these illegal substances."
Pointing to the recommendations of the state's Ice Inquiry as well as NSW and Victorian coroners, advocates like Will Tregoning from Unharm, a movement aiming to make drug use legal and safe in Australia, maintain giving users information on WHAT they are taking will save lives.
"Scientific analysis and stigma free advice in drug testing services helps people make better informed decisions about their drug use."
Professor Nadine Ezard from the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs agrees that being uninformed can be potentially disastrous.
"There have been some of the drug alerts in NSW where people thought they were taking cocaine but they were actually taking an opioid with very serious consequences, so those unexpected results will result in a change in people's behaviour."
Earlier this year, Queensland announced mobile and fixed testing sites following the success of trials in Canberra, but the New South Wales premier thinks it might give users a false sense of security.
"It might be overuse, or over consumption of that substance, rather than there being a dangerous element that's been added to the drug."
Emma Maiden from Uniting, the advocacy arm of the Uniting Church, says in the end, it's lives that are important.
"What we would say to the Premier is if one life is saved by introducing drug checking then it will be worth it."
Proponents of testing sites say their use extends well beyond festivals.
In Australia over the past two decades unintentional drug induced deaths have risen by 71 percent, with users largely unaware of exactly what they’re taking.
Professor Ezard says there are no controls.
"Particularly with MDMA sometimes there is no MDMA at all and a lot of other psychoactive substances that may be in there."
As for those who attend festivals - the idea of testing seems a sensible precaution.
WOMAN: "It's one of those things where people are going to do it anyway if they want to and you may as well make it as safe as possible for them to do so."
WOMAN 2: "I absolutely agrees I think it's a really good idea."
MAN: "I think it's important to stay safe if you indulge in that type of stuff"
Italian
Una petizione al premier del New South Wales Chris Minns, in cui si richiedeva l’introduzione del test per le pillole stupefacenti, dato che la stagione dei festival estivi è alle porte, è caduta nel vuoto.
Minns non accetta lezioni sulla sicurezza relativa alle droghe.
"I know they want me to change our policy today but I'm not going to do that. The truth is there's no safe quantity to take of these illegal substances."
Rifacendosi ai suggerimenti dell’Ica Inquiry statale, così come ai medici legali del NSW e del Victoria, sostenitori come Will Tregoning, del movimento Unharm, che punta a legalizzare in modo sicuro le droghe in Australia, sostiene che fornire ai consumatori le informazioni su COSA stiano assumendo possa salvare vite.
"Scientific analysis and stigma free advice in drug testing services helps people make better informed decisions about their drug use."
La professoressa Nadine Ezard del Centro Nazionale per la Ricerca Clinica sulle nuove droghe si dice d’accordo sul fatto che la disinformazione potrebbe avere effetti disastrosi.
"There have been some of the drug alerts in NSW where people thought they were taking cocaine but they were actually taking an opioid with very serious consequences, so those unexpected results will result in a change in people's behaviour."
All’inizio di quest’anno, il Queensland ha annunciato postazioni di analisi fisse e mobili, sulla scia dei successi ottenuti dalle sperimentazioni a Canberra, ma il Premier del NSW crede che questo possa dare ai consumatori un'ingannevole sensazione di sicurezza.
"It might be overuse, or over consumption of that substance, rather than there being a dangerous element that's been added to the drug."
Emma Maiden, di Uniting, la parte legale della Uniting Church, sostiene che alla fine, quel che conta sono le vite.
"What we would say to the Premier is if one life is saved by introducing drug checking then it will be worth it."
I promotori delle stazioni di analisi sostengono che il loro utilizzo si estenderebbe ben al di là dei festival.
In Australia, negli ultimi 20 anni, i decessi involontari da droghe sono saliti del 71 per cento, con i consumatori principalmente ignari di cosa stessero prendendo.
La professoressa Ezard sostiene che ad oggi non ci sono controlli.
"Particularly with MDMA sometimes there is no MDMA at all and a lot of other psychoactive substances that may be in there."
E per coloro che andranno ai festival, l’idea di avere delle stazioni di testing sembra una precauzione sensata.
WOMAN: "It's one of those things where people are going to do it anyway if they want to and you may as well make it as safe as possible for them to do so."
WOMAN 2: "I absolutely agrees I think it's a really good idea."
MAN: "I think it's important to stay safe if you indulge in that type of stuff"
