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After a disappointing false start last year, the time has come for the ACT to break new ground by holding Australia's first pill testing trial. It is an opportunity for the territory to earn its reputation as a forward-thinking jurisdiction while displaying leadership on a nationally-relevant issue. The University of Canberra should be applauded for backing a proposal, however tentatively, to allow on-site pill testing at a music festival on university land next month. Long dismissed by anti-drug campaigners as a means to legitimise illicit drug use, pill testing has steadily gained support among academics, doctors and even police. The notion, which has been around since the 1990s, is simple and supported by a strong body of evidence. Festival goers can test drugs for the presence of toxic and potentially-lethal contaminants and make an informed choice about whether or not they want to take them. Common in European countries such as the Netherlands, Austria and Spain, the pill testing concept has been hamstrung in Australia by moral concerns. Critics say the aim should be to hold events that are completely drug-free, but this is an unrealistic expectation. Contrary to fears that pill testing might encourage a drug-taking free-for-all, research has shown it actually discourages drug use. An Australian study published earlier this year found more than 50 per cent of respondents would not take pills that tested positive to harmful substances such as methamphetamine or ketamine. The same study found almost 90 per cent of respondents were likely to make use of pill testing if offered at a festival. According to ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris, a vocal supporter of the pill testing proposal, there were five deaths linked to festival drug overdoses in 2015. Last year a Canberra woman was hospitalised after taking a substance that had been unknowingly laced with a drug called 25CNBOMe. The same substance had been sold as the popular party drug ecstasy in Melbourne and was linked to three deaths earlier in 2017. These are examples of exactly the sort of harm pill testing seeks to address. It is not the first time pill testing has gained some traction in the ACT. Last year the territory government put its weight behind a proposal to offer pill testing at the popular Spilt Milk festival, held on Commonwealth land. Initially promising, the idea was scuppered without warning as rumours swirled of federal government interference. There is nothing wrong with an informed debate about the pros and cons of pill testing, which is far from a flawless system. Risks are present any time illicit substances are taken, and just because a pill has been tested, does not mean it is 100 per cent safe to take. But it is hoped debate can be had this time around without the hint of political point scoring that marred last year's attempt to trial the initiative. Pill testing does not offer a foolproof system and its drawbacks need to be acknowledged. But surely, when the presence of a toxic substance could have fatal consequences, some information is better than none.

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