School leavers will make their way to the Gold Coast tomorrow, marking the start of three weeks of annual ‘Schoolies’ celebrations, where pill testing will be available for the first time.
Pill testing at Surfer’s Paradise will roll out on week one: 16-23 November. Celebrations in this week are mostly attended by Queensland graduates
Pill testing has previously been rolled out in other parts of Queensland, at both permanent and mobile sites.
The Australian Medical Association said it was “heartened” to see drug checking in place.
Pill testing
Pill testing is a harm-minimisation service. Drug samples submitted for testing undergo chemical analysis to identify potentially harmful or unexpected ingredients.
Results from drug checks will generally relate to the strength and contents of the drug, and can include health advice for users.
The ACT and Queensland have legalised pill testing, while Victoria is starting trials this summer.
Schoolies
Around 20,000 recent high school graduates are expected to visit the Gold Coast over the next three weeks.
During the first of the three weeks of Gold Coast Schoolies, a pill testing station will be set up at main entertainment precinct in Surfer’s Paradise.
The organisation running the service, CheQpoint, will have an information hub and a mobile drug checking service.
CheQpoint has urged Schoolies attendees to ask for “harm reduction advice” at the pill testing centre.
It says consultations are anonymous and confidential and typically take 30 minutes.
Queensland’s Labor Government initially announced the pill testing measure. However, it was unclear if the newly-elected Liberal National Party (LNP) would continue the program after it beat Labor at the election in October.
LNP Premier David Crisafulli confirmed pill testing would go ahead as planned for Schoolies.
AMA
Dr Nick Yim, head of the AMA in Queensland, told ABC radio he was “heartened” the new Government had chosen to keep pill testing in place for Schoolies.
Dr Yim said teens are in an “experimental phase of their life” and pill testing could prevent serious drug-related harm.
“Early data does suggest with pill testing centres, when people do present, 16 per cent actually choose to dispose of these substances after testing”.
