WEBVTT - NSW’s first pill-testing trial

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<v Speaker 1>Already and this is the daily This is the daily

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<v Speaker 1>ohs oh, now it makes sense. Good morning and welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to the Daily OS. It's Tuesday, the eleventh of March.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Billy and I'm a choll. Earlier this month, thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of people attended the two day Yours and Ours Festival

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<v Speaker 1>in Wollongong, New South Wales. The regional festival is of

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<v Speaker 1>significant importance because it's the first to participate in the

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<v Speaker 1>state's first ever pill testing trial. It's obviously not a

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<v Speaker 1>new idea. Pill testing trials have become increasingly common across

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<v Speaker 1>Australia in recent years, with governments allowing pop up clinics

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<v Speaker 1>at schoolies in Queensland and festivals in Victoria. For New

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<v Speaker 1>South Wales, it's an idea that has historically been shut

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<v Speaker 1>down repeatedly. So in today's podcasts our very own Atoll

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<v Speaker 1>got an inside look at how the service was right

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<v Speaker 1>you actually went to the festival and look at exactly

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<v Speaker 1>what goes on in the pill testing trial. Before we

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<v Speaker 1>get to what it was like in the trial, I

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<v Speaker 1>want to understand how we got to this point because,

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<v Speaker 1>like I said, in New South Wales it has historically

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<v Speaker 1>been shut down that's.

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<v Speaker 2>Exactly right, Billy. I mean, drug safety at festivals is

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<v Speaker 2>increasingly becoming a conversation that more people are eager to

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<v Speaker 2>have and there is a reason for that. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>between twenty one and twenty nineteen, sixty four people died

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<v Speaker 2>because of drug related causes at Australian music festivals. So

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<v Speaker 2>six of those occurred in New South Wales between December

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<v Speaker 2>twenty seventeen and January twenty nineteen. Now more recently, two

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<v Speaker 2>more people died in twenty twenty three, also at festivals

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<v Speaker 2>in New South Wales. The decision to greenlight the twelve

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<v Speaker 2>month pill testing trial comes after a New South Wales

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<v Speaker 2>drug summit held last year. Now. The summit, which was

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<v Speaker 2>one of the New South Wales Labor government's election promise

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<v Speaker 2>aimed at addressing the issues faced by people impacted by

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<v Speaker 2>drugs and alcohol, event brought together a bunch of people.

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<v Speaker 2>This included experts, people with lived experiences, drug user organizations

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<v Speaker 2>and families. It is quite significant because the last time

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<v Speaker 2>New Southweld held a drug summit was in nineteen ninety nine.

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<v Speaker 1>Wow, that is so long ago, and so my understanding

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<v Speaker 1>of what this drug summit is was to understand what

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<v Speaker 1>is happening certain trends in the drug space or in

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<v Speaker 1>drug consumption in the state, and then to look at

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<v Speaker 1>how the harm caused by drugs can be minimized exactly.

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<v Speaker 1>And so what came out of this drug summit?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So, as mentioned the Drug Summit that happened last year,

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<v Speaker 2>we're still waiting for the final report which is due

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<v Speaker 2>to be handed down next year. But in the interim

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<v Speaker 2>a pill testing trial was recommended by the experts on

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<v Speaker 2>the panel and the New Southwal's government actually agreed to

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<v Speaker 2>take in on this initiative.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, so the drug Summit recommended that there should be

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<v Speaker 1>this pill testing trial in New South Wales. The New

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<v Speaker 1>South Wales government agreed to it, and that is what

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<v Speaker 1>happened two weekends ago now at the Yours and Our

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<v Speaker 1>Festival where they had the first ever pill testing trial.

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<v Speaker 1>I tell you went to it? I did you went

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<v Speaker 1>to it on a Sunday?

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<v Speaker 2>Yep?

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<v Speaker 1>What did it involve?

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<v Speaker 2>So the pill testing trial followed very similar guidelines to

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<v Speaker 2>how other states have run theirs in previous years, so

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<v Speaker 2>meaning at music festivals or at one off events where

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<v Speaker 2>there are likely to be people who are planning to

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<v Speaker 2>use illicit drugs under the trial ten set festivals are

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<v Speaker 2>set up for attendees to have their drugs chemically analyzed,

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<v Speaker 2>and the purpose of this is to identify potentially harmful

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<v Speaker 2>or unexpected ingredients.

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<v Speaker 1>So the idea that when you are taking something that

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<v Speaker 1>is illegal, you don't necessarily know what is inside it,

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<v Speaker 1>and it could be different to what you thought it was,

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<v Speaker 1>and these trials are aimed at detecting exactly that.

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<v Speaker 2>Exactly, so they're being used as a harmonimization service essentially.

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<v Speaker 2>Now the process is confidential, anonymous, and honestly it takes

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<v Speaker 2>about fifteen minutes. So once the drugs are tested, health

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<v Speaker 2>professionals review the results and provide professional advice to people

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<v Speaker 2>who brought the drugs in about what is in their

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<v Speaker 2>drug exactly.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, And again, you were there, do you want to

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<v Speaker 1>tell us about what your experience at the festival was like,

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<v Speaker 1>specifically in terms of the pill testing, not about I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sure, I'm sure the music was great.

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<v Speaker 2>I had a great time to grow on because were

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<v Speaker 2>it what were they? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>They actually were Wow? Did you get to hear them

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<v Speaker 1>or was it strictly professional.

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<v Speaker 2>Strictly business? So, yeah, I went to the festival on

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<v Speaker 2>the second day. It was a two day event. Upon arrival,

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<v Speaker 2>the pill testing tent was one of the first ones

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<v Speaker 2>you saw by the entrance. New South Wales health workers

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<v Speaker 2>made their presence really known to attendees. There were there,

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<v Speaker 2>there were signs, There were posters along the strip letting

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<v Speaker 2>people know basically that the service was available. Now. I

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<v Speaker 2>spent time chatting to some of these attendees and the

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<v Speaker 2>general attitude about the tents was pretty positive. Here are

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<v Speaker 2>some examples of what people had to say about it.

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<v Speaker 1>So many people who have had bad drugs just trying

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<v Speaker 1>to have a good time here. All the time, I

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<v Speaker 1>thought that it was everywhere. I didn't know was the

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<v Speaker 1>first one in use at Whales. That's crazy.

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<v Speaker 2>It should just be everywhere. It's like, it's the smarter

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<v Speaker 2>and safer way to do it.

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<v Speaker 1>Really, I think. Yeah, harm minimization is pretty forward thinking.

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<v Speaker 2>It healthy.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, So it sounds like the crowds were pretty receptive

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<v Speaker 1>to it. Do we know how many people actually used

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<v Speaker 1>the service?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Over the two day festival, more than one hundred

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<v Speaker 2>people visited the tent. Now, out of those one hundred,

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<v Speaker 2>eighty drug samples were tested with MDMA ketamine and cocaine

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<v Speaker 2>being the three most common substances brought in. Health experts

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<v Speaker 2>said that eleven percent of those samples were not what

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<v Speaker 2>people actually thought they had with them.

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<v Speaker 1>Interesting, I know.

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<v Speaker 2>And they said in several cases people actually threw away

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<v Speaker 2>the drugs they brought in after having conversations with those professionals.

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<v Speaker 2>Now for context, these tents also had amnesty boxes where

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<v Speaker 2>you could safely discard your drugs, and occasionally, at these

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<v Speaker 2>festivals where pill testing trials are being run, drug warnings

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<v Speaker 2>can be issued if experts pick up on substances that

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<v Speaker 2>deemed dangerous. But at this festival, New South Wales health

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<v Speaker 2>experts say they did not have to issue any of

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<v Speaker 2>those warnings, nor were there any critical drug related harm

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<v Speaker 2>events reported, So.

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<v Speaker 1>That's probably considered a success, I would presume, right, Yeah, that's.

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<v Speaker 2>Pretty much their ideal outcome for these services, and so.

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<v Speaker 1>Pill testing trials, like we said, it is an initiative

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<v Speaker 1>that a lot of young people are in support of,

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<v Speaker 1>just like the people that you spoke to at the

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<v Speaker 1>festival a Chunnel. But I know, as we mentioned at

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<v Speaker 1>the top of the podcast, that the New South Wales

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<v Speaker 1>government in particular has historically been against this. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>want to kind of take us through that history there.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So the New South Wales government's track record on

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<v Speaker 2>this subject makes it pretty hard to imagine. Right. Concerns

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<v Speaker 2>about pill testing have been consistently raised across the country,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's including New South Wales, where the previous coalition

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<v Speaker 2>government repeatedly rejected a formal recommendation to run a trial

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<v Speaker 2>like this one. Now, the coalition STAN is rooted in

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<v Speaker 2>the belief that pill testing could give drug users a

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<v Speaker 2>misleading sense of safety when taking illicit drugs.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, So they're concerned about the idea that if you're

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<v Speaker 1>someone who goes to this pill testing, you give them

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<v Speaker 1>their pill, they say, yes, this is what you thought

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<v Speaker 1>it was, and then you take it. They're worried that

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<v Speaker 1>you're then under this kind of misguided understanding that what

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<v Speaker 1>you took is safe. But obviously, as we know, no

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<v Speaker 1>drugs are safe, and so they're saying that it is

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<v Speaker 1>misleading people into thinking that what they are taking is safe.

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<v Speaker 1>I feel like I've said safe ten times, but you

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<v Speaker 1>get what I'm saying.

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<v Speaker 2>No, that's exactly right. And at the time then Premier

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<v Speaker 2>Dominic Perotoe his message to young people was basically don't

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<v Speaker 2>do drugs because no matter what, there is always a risk.

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<v Speaker 2>But with the change of government, with the new Labor

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<v Speaker 2>government coming in in New South Wales, we've witness quite

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<v Speaker 2>a shift in the state's attitude towards the service. So

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<v Speaker 2>the current New South Wales Premier Chrismin said that the

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<v Speaker 2>move is about saving lives and not encouraging drug.

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is where it gets interesting, because obviously

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<v Speaker 1>drugs are still illegal in New South Wales and in

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<v Speaker 1>every state and territory in Australia drugs are illegal. But

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<v Speaker 1>I can see why some people would say that isn't

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<v Speaker 1>this a contradiction when drugs are illegal and you actually

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<v Speaker 1>have police at the festival monitoring and trying to see

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<v Speaker 1>if there are people there with drugs, and they have

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<v Speaker 1>sniffer dugs I presume. But then in the same space

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<v Speaker 1>you also have a tend where people can go test

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<v Speaker 1>their pills. So how do they kind of navigate that

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<v Speaker 1>contradiction because I can see why for some people it

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<v Speaker 1>would be considered mixed messaging.

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<v Speaker 2>No, absolutely, I mean when I showed up to the

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<v Speaker 2>festival and I saw the pill testing tent set up

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<v Speaker 2>right next to the police tent. It was a little

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<v Speaker 2>striking that juxtaposition.

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<v Speaker 1>But to be clear, if you are in the tent,

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<v Speaker 1>police can't come and get you and say you're doing

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<v Speaker 1>something illegal. They can't come and arrest you, right exactly.

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<v Speaker 2>The pill testing tent is a legal safe space. But

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<v Speaker 2>in the lead up to the festival, you know, the organizers,

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<v Speaker 2>the government, the police all made sure to stress the

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<v Speaker 2>fact that drugs do remain illegal in New South Wales

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<v Speaker 2>and that the law still applied to the rest of

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<v Speaker 2>the venue.

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<v Speaker 1>So to be clear, there were sniffer dogs conducting drug

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<v Speaker 1>searchers and police conducting drug searchers.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely, police presence was pretty strong throughout the whole festival.

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<v Speaker 2>On both days. They were officers patrolling and roaming the

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<v Speaker 2>festival site. A mobile police unit had been set up

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<v Speaker 2>right by the entrance, and like you said, those officers

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<v Speaker 2>were using sniffer dogs to conduct drug searchers as people

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<v Speaker 2>lined up to get into the venue. In those drug

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<v Speaker 2>searchers that were conducted at the front of the venue,

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<v Speaker 2>mdermine cannabis were among some of the most popular drugs

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<v Speaker 2>found by police. By the end of day two, police

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<v Speaker 2>charged twenty three people with drug possession.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's really interesting and something that as there

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<v Speaker 1>are more of these trials across Australia that we'll have

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<v Speaker 1>to see how that goes with the country addiction of

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<v Speaker 1>you know, police arresting people for having drugs and then

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<v Speaker 1>very close to that having a tent where you can

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<v Speaker 1>consume drugs safely. I think it'll be really interesting to

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<v Speaker 1>see what the future of pill testing looks like. No

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<v Speaker 1>doubt you'll have to attend more festivals, all in the

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<v Speaker 1>name of work.

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<v Speaker 2>I guess if I have to be there at chel.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for breaking that down for us

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<v Speaker 1>and for spending your sundays into investigating it for The

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<v Speaker 1>Daily Ohs. Thank you, and thank you so much for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to this episode of The Daily Ods. We'll be

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<v Speaker 1>back again this afternoon with your evening headlines, but until then,

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<v Speaker 1>have a great day.

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<v Speaker 2>My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Aarunda

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<v Speaker 2>Bunje lung Chalcuttin woman from Gadigl Country. The Daily os

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<v Speaker 2>acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on the lands of

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<v Speaker 2>the Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and

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<v Speaker 2>Torres Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to

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<v Speaker 2>the first peoples of these countries, both past in present.