A recent survey conducted by YouGov with the South Australian Network of Drug and Alcohol Services (SANDAS) showed strong support for the introduction of drug checking and pill testing services in the state.

The findings show 71 per cent of respondents support the introduction of pill testing/drug checking services at events and fixed sites in South Australia, with the strongest support among 18 to 24-year-olds.

The survey suggests one of the benefits to pill testing in South Australia, which has been seen in other jurisdictions, is reducing the number of people needing ambulance transfer to emergency departments.

Greens MLC Robert Simms told InDaily he was in support of introducing pill testing sites in South Australia.

“I think anything that we can do to reduce the burden on our health system, and in particular, our ambulances and our hospitals at a time of skyrocketing ramping is worth looking at,” Simms said.

“Unfortunately, I think the Malinauskas government seems to be adopting a sort of Law and Order approach to this, which is really disappointing because it’s at odds with the approach that’s been taken in so many places around the country.”

There is a drug checking service in the ACT and NSW is currently trialling a 12-month drug checking program at selected music festivals.

You might like

In Depth

Why a Palestinian state may not even be possible

In Depth

The ANU is moving to kill the Australian National Dictionary – this is why it matters

Simms said the Malinauskas government “seem to take a very punitive approach to drug policy” as opposed to “looking at this as a health issue, or rather than looking at this from a health lens or a harm minimisation lens”.

As shown in the survey, the key motivators for support of drug checking and pill testing include:

You might like

In Depth

Why a Palestinian state may not even be possible

In Depth

The ANU is moving to kill the Australian National Dictionary – this is why it matters

• the prevention of overdoses and medical emergencies (74 per cent)
• the detection of dangerous substances (73 per cent)
• the prevention of avoidable deaths (71 per cent)

Simms said he wasn’t surprised by the results as he has noticed “broad support for pill testing”.

“I think people see this as ultimately being about risk mitigation. This isn’t about encouraging drug use,” he said.

“It’s about recognising the fact that people in our community will continue to take drugs, and what we should be doing is adopting a harm minimisation approach and an approach that puts safety first.

“I’ve heard from many parents who are concerned about their children – teenagers and young people – being potentially exposed to dangerous substances and the risk of them taking something that could have life altering consequences.

“So, I think it’s a case of the community having a particular view, and the parliament lagging behind community sentiment.”

According to the survey, 15 per cent of respondents opposed pill testing, raising concerns around promoting drug use.

“The reality is, and certainly I was made aware of this when I had an opportunity to look at the testing site in Canberra, is that most people, when they’re given the information, they will choose not to take drugs, irrespective of whether or not the drug is what it purports to be,” Simms said.

“The other important point…is that the pill testing sites and pill testing clinics make it very clear that no drug is safe to take, and they talk through these strategies that people might like to adopt and the things they might like to think about before they take these drugs.

“I think that’s really important. This isn’t about encouraging people to take drugs. It’s really about getting the facts out there.”

Simms is calling on the Malinauskas government to act on this and introduce a “pill testing trial”.

“It should be rolled out ahead of the next festival season, so ahead of next year’s state election, I would really like to see the Malinauskas government act on this,” Simms said.

“We also should have a fixed drug testing facility, like they do in Canberra. It could easily be paired with STI testing clinics, but it’s high time that the government took action on this.

“I think if they don’t, it’s going to be a big issue heading into next year’s state election, certainly from the perspective of the Greens, we’ll continue to push for action on this.”

Health Minister Chris Picton told InDaily the Malinauskas government does “not support the introduction of pill testing in South Australia”.

“We have a comprehensive range of policies to address the risks of illicit drugs that are contained in our Alcohol and Other Drug Strategy which was released only months ago,” Picton said.

The South Australian Alcohol and Other Drug Strategy, released in April this year, was developed by Preventive Health SA and South Australia Police. Government and non-government agencies, people with lived experience, professional associations and research agencies and industry bodies were consulted. It does not support pill testing.

The Strategy focuses on five priority areas to prevent and reduce the harms caused by alcohol and other drugs in the South Australian community.

These areas include: health promotion and prevention, disruption and supply reduction, early intervention and targeted intervention, treatment and support and engaging communities.

The state government is also delivering more rehabilitation and detox beds to help people recover from illicit drug use, which includes $12.8 million for 12 extra rehabilitation beds in metropolitan Adelaide, $4.6 million to fit-out and operate two dedicated drug and alcohol detox beds in the Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service and more.