Festival overdoses spark calls for pill testing. But how does it work?

This is what pill testing at Australian music festivals could look like, if implemented.

Festival goers across the country are being urged not to take pill-popping risks. Source: AAP

The pill testing debate was reignited following a spate of drug overdoses atAustralian music festivals in 2018.

A recent study found public opinion is in favour of pill testing, festival promoters have championed it and even Australia’s peak representative body for doctors is on board. But police and politicians, including both the NSW and Victorian premiers, have blocked it.

The pill testing debate was reignited following a spate of drug overdoses atAustralian music festivals in 2018.

A recent study found public opinion is in favour of pill testing, festival promoters have championed it and even Australia’s peak representative body for doctors is on board. But police and politicians, including both the NSW and Victorian premiers, have blocked it.

Pill testing forms part of a "harm minimisation" approach to drug taking that aims to stop users from consuming drugs that are likely to have dangerous consequences. This involves testing the drug to make sure the chemicals it contains are what the user is expecting.