Joining a bunch of medical experts who think pill testing is a good idea.
A federal Liberal MP has gone against the grain of his NSW state counterparts and publicly affirmed his support in pill testing in music festivals.
Tim Wilson, the member for the Victorian electorate of Goldstein, has said there needs to be a “mature national conversation” around drug policy. According to the Herald Sun, Wilson is among a group of lower-ranking federal Liberal MPs who are in support of community-based trials.
Speaking to The Australian, he said remaining ignorant of our current failures to drug policy is not good enough. While Wilson didn’t say pill testing is the be-all and end-all of stopping drug-related deaths at festivals, he did say new proposals to curb the issue shouldn’t be immediately rejected.
“Like alcohol prohibition fails, a head-in-the-sand approach doesn’t work and leaves behind stories of human wreckage; many who are completely innocent like family and friends,” Wilson said.
Liberal politicians in the NSW state government remain adamantly opposed to pill testing in music festivals. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has instead suggested festivals provide free water and ‘chill-out zones’. Providing free water is something music festivals usually do already. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has also remained strict on opposing pill testing, however the ABC reports a number of crossbench politicians in Victorian parliament might put pressure on the state government to take action.
