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Greens want debate on pill testing after music festival deaths
Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia president Gino Vumbaca said drug-checking services could not operate without the support of government and the police. “The bill would remove any doubt about our permission to operate,” he said. “Politicians are way behind the community when it comes to what people support. This is a public health program to help people get…
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NSW on-the-spot fines for drug use and possession a ‘double-edged sword’, expert says
The NSW government announced this week that police would be given the power to issue up to two on-the-spot $400 fines to adults for personal drug use and possession of a small quantity of illicit drugs. […]
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Music festivals, drugs, and your leal rights when dealing with police in NSW
As the weather warms and music festival season approaches, a concern for many attendees will be how to deal with police and what your rights are. This is due to the often-overwhelming presence of police officers and sniffer dogs at festivals and concerts. […]
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Two people dead after attending Knockout Outdoor music festival in Western Sydney
President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia Gino Vumbaca said his offer to conduct free trials had been knocked back by the state government for the past five years. […]
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Fresh calls to end use of sniffer dogs at festivals after report finds low success rate
New figures indicate drug detection dogs have a low success rate. Some are urging for an end to their use at music festivals – as well as the practice of strip searches – and the implementation of pill testing. […]
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‘Out of control’: new findings suggest NSW Police aren’t abiding by strip search procedures
Gino Vumbaca, President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia, questioned why strip searching has to continue in the first place. “I think what’s fundamentally missing from this report is an understanding of the impact of strip searching people, and young people at that” […]
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Outrage Grows Over NSW Government’s Backflip on Drug Law Reform
NSW premier Chris Minns last week shattered the drug law reform agenda he’d been spruiking pre-election. The Labor leader has pushed his drug summit back to the end of the term and said he has “no mandate” for decriminalising drugs on the day his party colleagues made it law in the ACT. […]
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A haven for ‘drug tourism’ or beacon of hope? The rhetoric around decriminalisation in the ACT
Ahead of new laws coming in October, advocates answer police fears about more drug-driving deaths and bikie violence with a call to work together […]
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Calls to take Canberra’s drug-checking service CanTEST on the road to better help Australians
The facility has confirmed what authorities had long warned – that each link in the illicit drug trade is in it for themselves. Dealers often dilute drugs, mixing in chemicals that stretch their stash – and their cash – as far as possible. […]
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VIDEO: Drop-in drug checking clinic provides worrying insight into Australia’s party drugs
Nearly a thousand people have come forward to have their drugs tested and the results suggest a host of dangerous supplements and contamination may be found in the country’s party drugs. […]
