Music festivals are offering to test the safety of people’s drugs, and police increasingly like the idea

Tests raised awareness about the dangers of drug consumption
The Washington Post (US)
Friday, January 4, 2019

the loopFor a long time, authorities at festivals in Australia and elsewhere almost entirely focused on preventing people from taking drugs in the first place. That approach has done little to drive down the number of drug-related deaths, however, and a mounting body of research suggests that pill-testing facilities might be a more promising strategy. Following last summer’s trial effort in Canberra, organizers said they had successfully prevented attendees from unknowingly taking hazardous substances. But in other Australian states, local governments remain opposed, even amid a recent string of deaths.