It’s high time for drug testing

users was not an endorsement of their use of illegal drugs. Then Health Minister Michael Bassett recognised there was no ‘‘perfect solution’’. Instead, needle exchanges were a triumph of pragmatism.

Similar thinking drives the introduction of drug testing at dance parties and music festivals. People will take drugs regardless of the law – whether alcohol, cannabis, MDMA or some substance that purports to be MDMA – so we should at least endeavour to make it safe where possible.

As long as there have been illegal drugs, there have been warnings, such is the inevitable unreliability of substances distributed through criminal networks. Older readers will think of the film of the Woodstock festival in 1969, where an announcement over the PA was that ‘‘the brown acid that is circulating around us is not specifically too good’’.

Some drugs that could have been taken at the Rhythm and Vines event near Gisborne on Monday were not specifically too good, either. Police used a Customs spectrometer to identify that seized pills contained pesticides, industrial paint compounds, antibiotics and even paracetamol. Others were merely sugar and food colouring, sold as MDMA.

Thankfully, no-one at the festival needed hospital attention, although there were some adverse drug reactions, according to medical staff.

Partygoers in Australia were less lucky. A 22-yearold Brisbane man died and two other people fell ill after taking an unknown substance at a music festival north of Sydney in December. It follows three other recent deaths at Australian festivals.

While both government and police have argued greater law enforcement resources are needed, Australia’s Green Party is isolated in calling for the introduction of drug testing in New South Wales.

The argument is running along more sensible lines in New Zealand, where Police Minister Stuart Nash said he would like to see drug testing at festivals, adding: ‘‘It saves lives, it saves hospitalisations. It’s actually the right thing to do. And it’s dealing with the reality in which we find ourselves.’’

At the moment, drug testing in New Zealand depends on a small group of volunteers who work as KnowYourStuffNZ. They operate in a legal grey area.

Scientist Jez Weston has explained that. ‘‘The majority of drug users we see are not addicts or drug abusers. They are adults who want to have a good time, are willing to take on a small amount of risk to do this, and are keen to reduce that risk.’’

Stuff has also reported that festivals such as Rhythm and Vines attract large numbers of "fresh-outof-high-school kids", making them a magnet for dealers selling poor quality, dangerous or fake drugs they might not expect to sell to more experienced users.

Old stereotypes of drug users die hard. But as New Zealand’s drug policy moves from a criminal approach to a health approach, the merits of being able to reliably and legally test substances that could put otherwise law-abiding people in hospital or worse seem obvious. It is time to put moral qualms to one side and make it happen.