Major festivals unable to organise pill testing

Revellers at most of the major new year’s festivals will not be able to get their drugs checked, despite an urgent law change to allow pill testing.

The Government passed legislation under urgency at the start of December to allow for pill testing of illegal substances at concerts and festivals.

But two major festivals have confirmed pill testing couldn’t be organised in time.

In statements, Rhythm and Vines – the country’s biggest new year’s festival – and Northern Bass said the short time frame and lack of resources for pill testing meant public-facing testing wouldn’t be offered.

Jez Weston, the deputy director of pill testing service Know Your Stuff, said the demand for testing since the law change was ‘‘10 times’’ what they could offer.

‘‘The law change is great – it means we can be a lot more open about what we can do, and it means festivals aren’t at legal risk for looking after their attendees,’’ Weston said.

‘‘However, we are a small, grassroots, volunteer-run organisation, and we’re pretty much already at capacity.’’

He said the Government needed to ensure pill testing was accessible as well as legal. The machines they used cost $50,000, but he said the tax money potentially saved down the track – through the prevention of hospitalisations from unknown substances – would make up for it.

National Party justice spokesman Simon Bridges, who voted against the pill testing legislation because it sent the ‘‘wrong message’’ about drug use, said he was surprised to hear festivals didn’t have testing this year.

‘‘That was certainly not what Minister [Andrew] Little or Labour MPs said in Parliament when this law was passed under

urgency. The basis for urgency was that it would be in place,’’ Bridges said.

Green Party drug reform spokeswoman Chlo¨e Swarbrick, who pushed for the law change, was critical of the Government not funding pill testing.

‘‘We fund the hospital at the bottom of the cliff, but not the fence that might stop people falling off,’’ she said.

A government spokeswoman said the law change this year was a temporary solution to allow for pill testing to operate legally, and a long-term solution would be consulted on next year.

There are four major festivals in the leadup to New Year’s Day: Gisborne’s Rhythm and Vines; Otherside in the Coromandel; Northern Bass; and Wa¯naka’s Rhythm and Alps. Festivities kicked off from yesterday, before the music starts today.

Rhythm and Vines is the biggest festival, with about 20,000 attendees. The others will have up to 10,000 each.

Rhythm and Vines said it invited Know Your Stuff, but they were too busy. Instead it was partnering with police, health authorities and NZ Customs to test confiscated substances.

Northern Bass said: ‘‘While we support drug testing, the law change was made too late in the year and the organisations offering the service couldn’t add in another festival. We have already booked them in for next year.’’

The other two festivals were contacted for comment.

‘‘Providing a testing service for big events running at the same time is quite a challenge.’’

Jez Weston

Know Your Stuff deputy director