The press release from today clarifies some important points:
- The trial is about how the service is implemented, not whether the service will become a feature of the Victorian health service. i.e. It will become a permanent part of Victoria’s health response to drugs (as long as a non-regressive government is in power one assumes).
- There will be a fixed site “located in an inner Melbourne area close to nightlife and transport” set up around mid-2025, as well as site testing at festivals this summer.
- Legislation will be amended so the service, its staff and its clients won’t be breaking the law.
- Police will be consulted to establish a fair and feasible arrangement that doesn’t deter people from using the service.
That’s good. When I hear of these things I always wonder about what’s been put in place that stops cops from being dicks and standing right outside. It seems they’ve thought this through which is good
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Victoria will trial pill testing of illicit drugs this summer, Premier Jacinta Allan has announced, saying it was “a common sense way to save lives”.
The premier made the announcement on Monday evening across social media – but provided no details of how the trial would work.
“I think the Victorian government is proceeding very carefully here and it’s important that we acknowledge that it’s a big step forward,” Professor Komesaroff said.
And we know that by having access to this service where they can simply be aware of the risks and dosage they’re taking, it can save their life," Mr Puglielli said.
“It’s great to hear that pill testing is happening, now we need to make sure it’s rolled out widely and quickly by the Summer festival period in order to keep young people safe.”
The decision follows Labor’s U-turn on supporting a second safe drug injecting room in the CBD, despite expert advice backing that plan to reduce fatal heroin overdoses.
The original article contains 550 words, the summary contains 163 words. Saved 70%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
