Pill-testing trial approved for Groovin the Moo festival in Canberra

Pill testing will be trialled in Australia for the first time after the green light was given for this weekend's Groovin the Moo festival in Canberra.

Festival promoter Cattleyard gave the pill-testing trial the final tick of approval after weeks of stalemate with the ACT Government, police and health officials.

Cattleyard initially made a series of demands that could not be agreed to under ACT law, causing Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris to urge the promoter to "reconsider the potential impact of drug taking on a young life … and the role pill-testing at this event could play to protect young people from such harm".

www.abc.net.au

It seems like a positive start, to finally adopting efficient harm minimisation policies... No matter what your personal opinion is about the kids that attend these festivals and what they get up too... the fact is their going to do it, regardless and no amount of hard line law and order type policing is ever going to stop it.

Best thing the government & police can do is adopt harm minimisation policies like this, which have been proven to keep kids safe and informed... far more than their usual brutal BS law and order "just say no" stance... which has been proven time and time again, to do far more harm than good.

The thing is though, can the police be trusted to play fair?

Whats stopping them from deliberately patrolling near where the pill testing is taking place with their sniffer dogs?

They love to tell us how their targeting drug dealers and not causal users... But if that was actually true, then they wouldn't be using sniffer dogs in the first place... its been shown that the use of sniffer dogs at these festivals is an incredibly inefficient way to catch dealers, the overwhelming majority of detection's are simply young people who have their lives destroyed by needlessly been dragged though the criminal justice system.

Not only that, but many naive young people have died by attempting to get rid of their pills by swallowing them all at once, when they see the police coming with a sniffer dog... its not always reported by the MSM, but it happens all the time!

Anyway... lets hope these proven commonsense harm minimisation policies will continue to be adopted on a ever larger scale. Their are quite a few other countries that are already doing it.

Pill testing is already undertaken in about 20 countries in Europe, the Americas and New Zealand.

Yeah hopefully it isn't a trap but I have always been under the impression that it's best to test your substances. A lot of people I met thought that was silly and a waste of money but..... as I recalled a life was never worth one good time- or potentially, a bad one.

I'm glad they are trying to keep them safe because as you said- nothing and no one is ever going to stop it.

-Alee

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

The police are prob selling it to em, then arresting them.. Comon not our first rodeo, corrupt is what corrupt does.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

Good move, it's been going on at festivals as a service now for a couple of years.

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa

Pill testing will be trialled in Australia for the first time after the green light was given for this weekend's Groovin the Moo festival in Canberra.

Festival promoter Cattleyard gave the pill-testing trial the final tick of approval after weeks of stalemate with the ACT Government, police and health officials.

Cattleyard initially made a series of demands that could not be agreed to under ACT law, causing Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris to urge the promoter to "reconsider the potential impact of drug taking on a young life … and the role pill-testing at this event could play to protect young people from such harm".

www.abc.net.au

It seems like a positive start, to finally adopting efficient harm minimisation policies... No matter what your personal opinion is about the kids that attend these festivals and what they get up too... the fact is their going to do it, regardless and no amount of hard line law and order type policing is ever going to stop it.

Best thing the government & police can do is adopt harm minimisation policies like this, which have been proven to keep kids safe and informed... far more than their usual brutal BS law and order "just say no" stance... which has been proven time and time again, to do far more harm than good.

The thing is though, can the police be trusted to play fair?

Whats stopping them from deliberately patrolling near where the pill testing is taking place with their sniffer dogs?

They love to tell us how their targeting drug dealers and not causal users... But if that was actually true, then they wouldn't be using sniffer dogs in the first place... its been shown that the use of sniffer dogs at these festivals is an incredibly inefficient way to catch dealers, the overwhelming majority of detection's are simply young people who have their lives destroyed by needlessly been dragged though the criminal justice system.

Not only that, but many naive young people have died by attempting to get rid of their pills by swallowing them all at once, when they see the police coming with a sniffer dog... its not always reported by the MSM, but it happens all the time!

Anyway... lets hope these proven commonsense harm minimisation policies will continue to be adopted on a ever larger scale. Their are quite a few other countries that are already doing it.

Cattleyard!!! now there is a name and what a name given the natture of the subject matter.

Is "Cattleyard" a cynical sarcastic name for a company that wants to test drugs on humans in Australia because they regard those humans as nothing more than cattle, and the community is the "yard" hence "Cattleyard'

Sounds to me this company is slaging in the face of the the Australian people thinking they are to dumb and stupid to work out what the company name is converying and what they think of the people who are silly enough to participate in the drug testing.

Sounds to me this company regards the Australian people as sub human and nothing more than animials - cattle to be exploited and used like lab rats and thrown out in the rubbish.

edit on 27-4-2018 by Azureblue because: (no reason given)

a reply to: Subaeruginosa


Cattleyard!!! now there is a name and what a name given the natture of the subject matter.

Is "Cattleyard" a cynical sarcastic name for a company that wants to test drugs on humans in Australia because they regard those humans as nothing more than cattle, and the community is the "yard" hence "Cattleyard'

Sounds to me this company is slaging in the face of the the Australian people thinking they are to dumb and stupid to work out what the company name is converying and what they think of the people who are silly enough to participate in the drug testing.

Sounds to me this company regards the Australian people as sub human and nothing more than animials - cattle to be exploited and used like lab rats and thrown out in the rubbish.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

Pill testing is already undertaken in about 20 countries in Europe, the Americas and New Zealand.

so why then is there any need to test drugs in Australia?

In what way is the drug testing that goes on in all these other countires deficient such that they feel that it must also be done in Australia. Within this context is Australia common or unique?

In what way is the drug testing that goes on in all these other countires cannot be extrapolated can considered to be transferable to Australia in terms of the develpment and roll out of new drugs?

Why does it appear that someone or some people want drug testing to be carried out in all countries of the world to take it to its logical conclusion?

This is all sounds to me like "Unknown Terminal Diseaise MIUST be Taken to All Countires of the World.!!!!! under the guise of "research."

Im not sold.

I used to take Speed when I was younger, not a lot but it never phased me as it was never cut with any # because it was cheaper to cut with glucose.

I took quite a few Ecstacy but what stopped me one day was when a couple of mates took half a pill each one boring afternoon. Take in mind these guys had taken plenty in the past, this day, one was pretty high for half an E, the other started steaming.

So imagine sitting in a Conservatory (dunno if Americans have them) but its so cold outside you can see your breath but in the glass walls of the Conservatory it was OK (we had a heater on).

My mate was sitting by an open window steaming like a chimney, the steam was pouring off his head, out of the window and across the garden, dense steam that carried over 4 meters.

He drank water, we made sure he didnt gulp pints as we heard of people damaging themselves by drinking too much. It lasted about 2 hours him sipping water (and smoking pot) whilst the other lad was high, a few stoned and a few just keeping an eye on the chimney!

I dont know how frequent it happens but it scared me enough to never take another pill, we recon he would have been dead if he took the full one.

Being as though one guy had a 'normal' reaction to MDMA and another overheated, can a tested pill still kill you?

Thats about all I can think about that!

originally posted by: Azureblue
a reply to: Subaeruginosa


Cattleyard!!! now there is a name and what a name given the natture of the subject matter.

Is "Cattleyard" a cynical sarcastic name for a company that wants to test drugs on humans in Australia because they regard those humans as nothing more than cattle, and the community is the "yard" hence "Cattleyard'

Sounds to me this company is slaging in the face of the the Australian people thinking they are to dumb and stupid to work out what the company name is converying and what they think of the people who are silly enough to participate in the drug testing.

Sounds to me this company regards the Australian people as sub human and nothing more than animials - cattle to be exploited and used like lab rats and thrown out in the rubbish.

If you check them out, Cattleyard Promotions is one of the music promoter companies organising the festival.
I don't see any conspiracy there if they are funding the drug testing element for attendees...
www.cattleyard.com...

EDIT
They have their fingers in a few pies and include the "Cattleyard" name in all their branding...

Our freshest endeavour is Cattleyard Brewing Co, launching with Cattleyard Lager in 2017. Taking live music and pairing it with a tasty beer was a bit of a no-brainer for us here at HQ. Cattleyard Lager will be available at both the Maitland and Bendigo Groovin the Moo 2017 shows plus more to come, so watch this space.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

It seems some people are getting the wrong interpretation of what is meant by this "testing" - its not using attendees as guinea pigs to test new substances, its the testing of pills which they are planning to take - to make sure they are what they think they are.

For example, so that you don't think you're taking modified methamphetamine (MDMA) when in reality its methamphetamine mixed with fentanyl.

Unfortunately, without testing, you never can be sure, because of prohibition.

originally posted by: dogstar23
It seems some people are getting the wrong interpretation of what is meant by this "testing" - its not using attendees as guinea pigs to test new substances, its the testing of pills which they are planning to take - to make sure they are what they think they are.

Testing has been going on at festivals in the UK for a couple of years now. I support it so the people taking the substances know what they are taking.
The UK police support it, they stay well away from the 'testing tents' and I've never once heard of any arrests being linked to the testing points. Cops want people to be safe here as well.