Most respected current affairs program in Australia presents case for pill testing

Australia's most trusted and respected current affairs program, the ABC's Four Corners, has presented the case for pill testing during a special on the country's 'party drug' scene.

'Dying To Dance' sees journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna follow festival-goers to Field Day, Rainbow Serpent and Electric Gardens across summer to document their drug taking habits and approaches, including what they take, whether they feel safe, and how they get things in without being detected by police operations. The program comes after a number of high-profile drug-related deaths at music festivals in recent years, which have resulted in growing calls for a safer approach to drugs than the current sniffer dogs, arrests and criminal records.

Given the award-winning investigative program's reputation, it's the strongest step in the right direction yet for pill testing to be implemented at festivals in Australia. And there are some heavy-hitting quotes from prominent figures sure to attract the eye of the mainstream press. Alongside well-known experts and harm-minimisation advocates Dr Alex Wodak, Dr David Caldicott and Greg Denham, Meldrum-Hanna speaks to former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Palmer and former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery, who both support the removal of drug dogs and a change in policy towards a safer approach.

"Instead of reducing harms in that (festival) environment, we're aggravating them," former AFP head Mick Palmer tells the program. "What does it do? (the current police approach) Well, I think it creates alarm and fear. No question about that. It seizes some drugs. I don't think it deters many people from attempting to get drugs into a festival that intended to do so. And it publicly embarrasses a lot of young people having to be busted in the process. And obviously potentially gives people convictions for a crime that you have to argue should never be one."

When Meldrum-Hanna prompts, "on that assessment, it's a failure," Palmer responds "I think it's a failure. Yes."

The program also highlights another dodgy use of statistics from the NSW government, this time by Deputy Premier and Police Minister Troy Grant. Mr Grant claims there were 14 drug-related deaths at events in The Netherlands in 2014 even though they had a "pill testing regime". But the institute behind the report told the program Grant had misread their material and labelled it "wishful thinking, simplistic and rash". It also said there was no pill testing regime in place and the deaths referred to were from a wide range of drugs.

"I absolutely do not (support pill testing)," Grant states. "(Be)cause pill testing will not save a life ... a pill testing regime may well tell you what's in that pill but it has no way to tell you whether it will kill you or not." Ah okay ...

Grant is made to look as stubborn and stupid as reading that sounds (not that he needs any help) by the intelligent arguments and facts laid out by Australia's leading experts on the issue. "I think there's a lot of things wrong with our illicit drug policies at the moment," Palmer tells viewers. "I think they desperately need changing. For the benefit of the very young Australians who are trying to be helped at the moment by current policies but I think, in fact, are being harmed."

Nice one, Mick.

If you're in Australia, you can watch 'Dying To Dance' here. Or read our feature on why banning festivals is pointless here.

Scott Carbines is Mixmag's Australian Online News Editor, follow him on Twitter.