Renewed calls for pill-testing after mass overdose in Sydney

Pill-testing could be on its way to Melbourne after a mass overdose at a Sydney music festival.

One teenager died and 16 more were hospitalised after suffering a suspected overdose at a dance music festival on the weekend, prompting renewed calls for testing stations.

Advocate Matt Noffs told Nick McCallum he expects Victoria’s “emboldened” government to trial pill-testing as soon as next year.

“You’ve got leaders there who are willing to listen, despite the old 1980s idea that we should just say no to drugs,” he said.

Mr Noffs oversaw the pill-testing trial in Canberra, and said the doctors who did the testing implored the patrons not to take the pills at all.

“We were able to sit them down and say ‘listen, this is really dangerous stuff’,” he said.

“That’s what pill-testing is about.”

Nick said he’s starting to come around to the idea.

“What we are doing at the moment simply isn’t working,” he said.

Click PLAY for the full interview with Matt Noffs