Following the completion and evaluation of the NSW drug checking trial, drug checking services will be delivered at selected music festivals as an ongoing harm reduction initiative.
The drug checking service will allow festival-goers to have a small sample of substances analysed and to receive tailored harm reduction advice from trained staff.
These services do not make drug use safe, but they can help people better understand the risks and make more informed decisions.
Drug checking (sometimes called pill testing) is a harm reduction service where people can:
The service is free, anonymous, confidential and voluntary for people attending participating festivals. No personal details are linked to samples, and phones or cameras are not used within the drug checking space to protect privacy.
Illicit drugs remain illegal in NSW. Drug checking does not endorse drug use and cannot guarantee that any drug is safe. The only way to avoid drug related harm is not to use illicit drugs.
Drug related harm, including serious illness and death, has occurred at music festivals in NSW and across Australia. Drug checking is one of several harm reduction strategies used to:
Drug checking services are offered at a limited number of up to 15 music festivals each year. Information about upcoming festivals with drug checking services will be updated on this page once arrangements are confirmed.
NSW Health will prioritise up to 15 music festivals each year where drug checking is likely to have the greatest harm reduction impact.
When a person enters a festival drug checking area, they speak to a trained harm reduction worker who explains the process.
They are required to agree to a waiver noting the limitations of testing and that no level of illicit drug consumption is safe.
The person then provides a small sample of the substance to be tested, which is analysed by a forensic chemist.
After the sample has been analysed, the person has a conversation with a peer worker from NUAA to discuss the test results, potential dangers and how to reduce their risk and appropriate harm reduction and health services they could access.
Amnesty bins are available for the safe disposal of drugs within the drug checking service.
No. Staff at drug checking services do not tell people whether a drug is safe to use. Staff provide tailored and general information on how to reduce harms from these drugs.
Drug checking services use a mix of technologies to test for the main components of the substance and an indication of potency (strength) where possible. Testing is conducted onsite and service users can watch the process and ask questions.
Drug checking services do not provide a guarantee of safety.
The combination of equipment used can identify a wide range of drugs, including those commonly seen at music festivals. However, low levels of substance in a sample may be difficult to detect. For example, if a sample contains a low level of fentanyl or nitazenes, this substance may not appear in the analysis.
If the main components of a substance cannot be identified using the equipment available onsite, the person may be asked if they are willing to surrender an additional sample for confirmatory testing.
Confirmatory testing is conducted by NSW Health Pathology Forensic & Analytical Science Service.
Regardless of the result of the drug testing, people are provided with tailored harm reduction advice.
People are asked a set of questions by the peer staff when they use the service. Information about people’s drug use and information about the drug sample/s they provide for testing are not linked to their personal identity.
Analytical results from the drug checking services are integrated into NSW's existing rapid drug surveillance, early warning and response system. This work can alert the community when there is a public health risk related to substances circulating in the community.
Harm reduction peer workers are available to provide information and harm reduction advice to help people make informed decisions, and support people to access harm reduction and health services they may need.
Amnesty bins are available for the safe disposal of drugs within the drug checking service.
It is not illegal to use the drug checking services operating at participating festival.
NSW Health works with NSW Police to support safe access to drug checking services.
Police and sniffer dogs may still be present at the festival entrance and police may patrol inside the event but will not routinely patrol near the drug checking service.
