No Fault Drug Tests

An article written by Georgina Bartter  - Daily Mail see article here

Introduces the issue!

'Way too good, the best I've had in years': How users rated Ecstasy pills known as 'The Speaker' before the drug caused the death of teenager Georgina Bartter at a dance party 

Georgina Bartter, 19, died from a suspected ecstasy overdose 

She collapsed at one of the summer season's first dance parties, Harbourlife, in Sydney

An MP has warned Australia's summer of music festivals could prove 'lethal' for young people.

The Greens David Shoebridge says police sniffer dogs don't stop drug trade

Mr Shoebridge, a critic of sniffer dogs, says their use may lead to deaths because people swallow drugs to avoid detection.

He proposes no fault drug tests at festivals measure strength of ecstasy and other drugs

But NSW Police drug squad boss Tony Cooke says sniffer dogs reduce drug taking

Superintendent Cooke has slammed 'money hungry' dealers as 'peddling poison' and 'destroying lives'

An autopsy will be determine whether Ms Bartter died from an Ecstasy overdose

Here is a good reason why we should implement No Fault Drug Tests at venues:

Thanks to a research paper titled:

Underground pill testing, down under

By Andrew M.Camilleri  - Forensic Science South Australia, 21Divett Place, Adelaide,

David Caldicott  - Australia Emergency Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia

This study also allowed a comparison between pill design and composition encountered at the rave with those submitted to the forensic laboratory over a 6-month period including the month the rave was held. MDMA was present in 68% of pills at the rave and 89% of pills submitted by the police. Ketamine was present in 27 and 26% of pills, respectively and was often combined with other substances.

Comparison of GCMS testing of pills     Results of GCMS testing

  49                                                         MDMA

  5                                                           MDMA and ketamine

  1                                                           MDMA and caffeine

  4                                                           MDA

  7                                                           Methylamphetamine, ketamine, caffeine

  5                                                           Methylamphetamine +  ketamine

  1                                                           Ketamine + caffeine

  2                                                           Methylamphetamine, ketamine, caffeine

  1                                                           Ketamine

  1                                                           Ketamine

  5                                                           No drugs detected

  1                                                           Ephedrine

  2                                                           Pseudoephedrine sulphate, chlorpheniramine

Contents of pills submitted to Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA) fortesting by South Australia Police (SAPOL) over a 6-month period including the month the rave was held.

Number of pills -      Number of designs -Substances detected

3862                            35                          MDMA

859                              3                            MDMA and ketamine

153                              1                            MDMA and PMA

22                                4                            MDA

14                                5                            Methylamphetamine, ketamine, caffeine 
533                              6                            Methylamphetamine + ketamine

37                                1                            Methylamphetamine + paracetamol

12                                3                            Ketamine + caffeine

3                                  1                            Ketamine

7                                  3                            Caffeine

Only the manufacturer knows what the concoction contains, beware the naive!

Back to Georgina Bartter

Supt Cooke said sniffer dogs at music festivals had 'a strong deterrance factor' and that 'they not only lead to the seizure of drugs from dealers and users, but people also dispose of drugs when they see the dogs. As a result, these drugs are not consumed'.

He said that over the last three years, drug detection dogs have been responsible for the seizure of about 840 kilograms of drugs, including cannabis, MDMA, amphetamine-type substances and other illict drugs'.

David Shoebridge, who is the NSW Greens justice spokesman said 'less than one per cent' of sniffer dog drug detections resulted in successful prosecutions.

He said rather than dogs inspiring people holding drugs to dispose of the substances, they caused more harm by making drug holders consume bulk quantities at once to avoid detection, thus putting them in danger of a drug overdose.

MediNat Comment:

It’s a complex argument, do we continue the deterrent (sniffer dogs and strong police presence) or do we seriously trial harm reduction?

Incidentally New Zealand is way ahead on the latter! But that is another story.

MediNat Australia strongly invest in building fences at the top of the cliff rather than providing ambulances at the bottom.

For us drug testing is about minimising harm, both to self and others, never about a punitive approach to drug detection. 

Drug detection in the workplace is about starting the conversation, providing assistance and a road to a drug free lifestyle and workplace.

For young people at rave parties, knowing what you are about to consume and better understanding the cocktail of substances contained in the tablets with a canary on the front, with the potential to have fatal affects, is one method of harm reduction and potential to make the taker think twice.

By the way, many of those who had their tablets tested in South Australia threw them in the bin afterwards! Makes you think!

If you want to test for MDMA (Ecstasy) MediNat Australia can assist with both Urine and Saliva Drug Tests manufactured for this purpose.