Victoria's pill testing trial

Why we need pill testing

Victoria's pill testing trial aims to reduce harm and potentially save lives.

Victoria has seen a rise in drug-related emergency department admissions and overdose deaths involving novel synthetic drugs. Victorian paramedics responded to more drug overdoses at festivals in the first 3 months of this year than during all of 2023.

The evidence shows that pill testing doesn't encourage people to use drugs. It allows people to see what's really in their substances and make informed, safer decisions.

It's not about promoting drug use; it's about making sure people who are already taking risks can do so as safely as possible.

Victoria's first pill testing service

The pill testing service, also known as drug checking, will commence at the start of the summer 2024-25 festival season. The mobile service will attend 10 festivals and events throughout the 18-month implementation trial.

The drug checking technology available at services can test the make-up of most pills, capsules, powders, crystals, or liquids and identify substances such as dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes. It cannot test organic substances.

Trained harm reduction peer workers and technical experts will be present during pill testing. They will provide personalised and confidential information to help people be more informed and make better choices.

The consortium of 3 organisations will partner to deliver Victoria's first drug checking service. It consists of lead service provider Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS), The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria.

The consortium will also partner with Melbourne Health to provide medical consultancy, Youth Projects to offer linked crisis care and pathways into secure housing, employment and education for service users, and Metabolomics Australia (University of Melbourne) to provide secondary and confirmatory testing of substances.

Pill testing will start in Victoria at the Beyond the Valley Festival at Barunah Plains from 28 December to 1 January 2025.

A fixed-site service is due to open in mid-2025. It will be co-located in a health service and operate from inner Melbourne, close to nightlife and transport.

Changes to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 provides protections for the services, for its staff, and for its clients – so no one is breaking the law by operating or using the testing service.

The trial pill testing service is one of Victoria's key health-led harm reduction initiatives.

Read more about our Statewide Action Plan to reduce drug harms.

What to expect at a mobile pill testing service

Not all substances are what they seem. Pill testing helps people see what's really in their drugs, so they can make more informed and better choices.

Pill testing service is free, fast, and anonymous. Testing drugs could save lives or keep people safe. The pill testing service is legal to use.

At the pill testing site, people provide a small sample of their pill or powder. A chemist analyses it and a harm reduction worker shares information about what's in it, what the effects could be, and the potential risks.

The worker will also have a more general health conversation and provide tailored information and advice about staying safe at the event. It's a private, judgment-free space for people to ask questions, get advice, and think twice about their drug use.

Research shows pill testing services work to reduce harm

Pill testing isn't a new idea – it's a proven one. With more than 30 drug checking programs operating around the world, we have seen the impact of using both fixed-site and event-based models.

Data from these services and those operating in other Australian jurisdictions shows pill testing works to reduce harms from illicit drugs.

Research includes:

• A 2023 evaluation of the Australian Capital Territory drug checking service, CanTEST, revealed only 53% of substances tested matched the expected drug. For those where an additional drug, a different drug or an inconclusive result was found, one-third reported that they 'definitely will not' use the drug.¹
• A study at English festivals found the rate of onsite medical incidents and hospitalisations from accidental drug harm is significantly lower at festivals that provide pill testing services compared to those that don’t.²
• Police and medical services at a UK festival attributed a 95% decrease in drug-related hospital admissions to pill testing services.³
• In a 2022 study, 86% of consumers in Portugal and 69% in the UK didn’t consume the drug when test results indicated the drug was different than expected.⁴

While the trial seeks to save lives, reduce drug harm, and improve public health at music festivals, it also aims to reduce pressure on frontline services and enhance Victoria's drug surveillance capabilities.