Jason Lauren on over one hundred guys overnight and about face he could say, but a welcome one in my opinion, from the Victorian state government because over the coming summer they will be trialing pill testing.
It does been lots of conversation about this.
Yeah, just for anybody living under a rocker who's quite naive to the subject. This is where they will test drugs at festivals. That's right to let you know if they're safe or not. I mean, look, not that any drugs safe, but like what's in.
Well, because there's been these horrific stories of people even trialing things for the first time in it and killing them teenagers.
And that's not manned by police or anything. You're not going to be charged or anything like that.
In the first three months of this year, the first three months of twenty twenty four, there were more overdoses than in the entirety of the previous year. So that's how often it's happening and how scary a proposition it is.
Right now, it's scary, and I think.
I think there will be some backlash from people who don't think that this is something that's necessary. But what I would say is burying your head in the sand and pretending that this isn't a real problem is so shortsighted.
Well, the premiere just cinter Allen announced it on the Socials last night. Here's what she had to say.
My husband and I are always thinking about our kids growing up and making their own decisions. In a few years, they'll be heading off to parties, to music festivals, and like all parents, so I often catch myself thinking, what if the worst happens, what if one of them doesn't make it home?
And that is a fear.
That's the fear right now.
Yeah, look, I love that she also says there that you know, she's a parent and she understands that there is a chance that it could be her kids that try something that perhaps they shouldn't, or she's not naive to the fact that teenagers will be ten ages and try things.
For the people don't want it is their belief that hey, if we provide pill testing, that's just going to encourage kids to do it.
I guess so, but I also think that that's really naive and short sun.
Yeah, I agree.
Well, it's a trial which has already been undertaken in the Act Queensland as well as I say it's coming to Victoria. Let's get some expert insight on this from the Victorian Drug and Alcohol Association. We welcome the CEO Chris Chris Deforu to the show. Good morning, Chris, morning.
Good morning.
How are you all well?
Good Chris, your reaction.
It's a very positive announcement. The Victoria Alcohol and Drug Association and other health organizations have been calling for this all of last summer given the spike in overdose overdose numbers as well as the risks around adulated substances appearing in a listed drugs. So it is a very welcome announcement.
Chris, can you run me through? And I'm not sure if you have all the details of how it would actually work, Like you know, I'm imagining. It's all anonymous. There's no police manning the tent or anything. It's just people rock up at this tent at a music festival. Their drugs are tested and given back to them and they're told what's in it.
So I think there'll be further information coming out today about what the actual service will look like, but at a high level, it is an anonymous service, so people that are intending to use an elisted drug can take a take a take a sample of it for testing, and in that in that sort of context, it's they'll receive real time information about what the composition of their substances, but also have the opportunity to have a conversation with a health profession all about their decision making.
So okay, so there's some education in it as well as just absolutely absolutely, because.
I mean, I'm all for this.
I think it's really important, and I think the statistics that we see get worse and worse every year of people trying things and not knowing what they're putting in their body. But there will be a lot of people that completely disagree with this.
There will be backlash.
What do you say to those people who think this is a terrible idea?
What I would say is that this is a health response, it's not a you know, and I think the effordence shows that criminalizing individuals who do take drugs is costs us more. It's you know, our courts get clogged up, and as you were saying a little earlier, you know, fatal mistakes, fatal mistakes happen, and you know, people end up, people often find out the negative consequences of what they are consuming once in a hospital ward or even worse morgue.
Hey, Chris, you a dad, Yes, can you take your hat off? As CEO of the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association, as a parent of children, I don't know how old they are, but one day they will head off, presumably to parties, to music festivals. Would you feel a little safe, a little bit more comfortable sending them off to those festivals parties with their friends?
Well, I guess you know, we all want to sort of make sure that you know, our children and most that we love have have have the right information about what they choose to do. And you know that's an ongoing conversation. But but of course it is a it is an important intervention that you know will be will
be real in Victoria this this this coming summer. So so I think the families that there is an a level of comfort that if their child or will love one decides to take something they're given or that they buy illegally, then that'll be something where where they can get some information and you know, possibly have a conversation for the first time at about their drug taking.
Yeah, and like it's not just kids doing this, by the way, there's adults. There's people in their twenties thirties who go to parties, go to festivals, and they don't come home.
Hey, Chris, we'll leave it there. So Victorian and Alcohol and Drug Association thanks your time this morning, mate.
Nowhere it's goat to chat with your.
Thirteen twenty four ten is our number if you want to weigh in on this. We are talking about pill testing being trialed here in Victoria.
They spend some horror stories, especially the last summer gone paramedics heading to music festivals, just the things they're seeing, the people they're treating.
You know what I think, so that parents that are naive to think their kids won't be in that environment. And I'm not saying every kid will do drugs or.
Anything like that. It doesn't. I think it doesn't encourage kids.
No, it doesn't. But if you are sitting there going my child will never be in a situation where they're offered them or around them, then unfortunately you've got your head in the sand. Mate.
But it also might not be your child. It might be a child's best friend. It might be a child's girlfriend or boyfriend or COLLIEE.
Thirteen to twenty fourten is our number. If you're on a way in. We've actually got a caller sitting on hold at the moment who is dead set against it, will get their view and take your calls on the other side of this here on Nover. Well, tell you what, I'm surprised about this, but the topic we're hitting this morning has definitely divided people on the phone. She's a fifty to fifty split.
That doesn't surprise me one day. Really Yeah, well.
Then Melbourne, honestly, fifty percent of those people that are against it need to wake up.
Okay, So what we're talking about is pill testing. The Victorian government have just announced this summer pill testing will be trialed.
They'll be running it out.
We don't have all of the details as yet, but it will be run out at festivals across rod I.
Think I mentioned right before it was it's a u turn of sorts because Dan Andrews was fiercely opposed yeah to a pill testing trial.
Look, drugs are illegal. I get it.
I get that there are a lot of people who are scared by the idea of this because they think it's going to encourage their kids to do it, encourage people to do something that is against the law. But I think the bigger picture, Jason, which is what you're saying, is that people are going to do it anyway, save lives, and people make mistakes, and it's teenagers.
Not smiling something.
Not everyone will go and do it. They'll be too nervous, they'll be embarrassed, they'll be scared about the consequences. But even just like if four people go and do it at a festival and two of those don't, go ahead and take the drugs that you know were cut really badly and they're going to kill them, there's two lives saved. Karen from Kilmore Morning, you're dead against it, dead against it.
It's illegal, illegal drugs, and you're saying that they're here, come and take illegal drugs.
No, Karen, do you have kids, yes?
Three.
Do you think they've ever I'm not sure how old they are, But do you think they've ever been in a situation where they've been around drugs or off of them.
I'm sure they have, because most kids would be. I'm sure they have.
And what about if peer pressure got to them and they were going to take a tablet at a festival, wouldn't you prefer they knew what was in it.
Well, you know what, They're not going to test every pill that goes into that festival.
No, But if you hang on, if your kids had the option to get that pill tested, wouldn't you prefer they got it tested and knew what was in it and then had the decision and then be able to make the decision on whether they take it.
Well, I don't think it makes any difference. They're going to take an illegal drug drug.
But Karen, it's giving them a choice if they get it tested and then there is an expert in front of them saying this drug has been cut with something very bad that people are dying from.
Yep.
That gives them the choice on whether.
They're going to and I think it's more than just.
And then they'll go and take another.
Well, he's if I.
Can't understand what Karen's saying that she doesn't want to encourage.
We shouldn't be encouraging.
People, not going to encourage them, Karen, hang on, what what if I tell you this, Karen, that it's been proven that pill testing actually changes behavior because look at his research. But when you get a negative result at a drug testing or a pill testing festival facility, a hut. Basically, they deter a majority of people from from taking drugs basically because they see right in front the evidence what's in it and what it can do.
Yeah.
Yeah, and I think there is I think some people, a lot of people, I would say, are putting things in their bodies that they don't know what's actually in it.
Did you ever do drugs when you were younger, Karen No, Well, I hope for your kid's sake that the testing stays around, and I hope that you know, they don't find themselves in that situation.
I can, I can, I can.
I can understand why people are frightened by it because they I can understand. You would think that it would encourage, but.
Ignoring the problem is more frightening. It really is.
Yeah.
Thirteen twenty four to ten to join us.
On the Well, let's go to Williamstown, Chavon, Good morning. What do you think about pill testing in Victoria?
Good morning.
I think it's absolutely brilliant and well passed due. It's something that they do in the UK, in the loops in the UK do it already everywhere, and you'd be surprised how many of us attending festivals would throw out anything that we've purchased, really the you go that contains ketin, baby powder, all those things that the gangs mixed the
drugs with. We just want to know how strong they are so that we know our limits and we know what we're taking, and we also want to ensure that everyone around us is staye.
Can I just say, are you saying are you a living stat here? Have you been in a situation where you've thrown something out?
Absolutely? Beg absolutely yes. Imus of us have a say in the loop in the UK attend a majority of the festivals in they test for free. There's no stigma attached to you going in and getting your pills or your powders tested. I am a living stat with saving.
Live and there is evidence out of the UK and America as well that pill testing does impact the black market.
Ah yeah.
And the manufacturing of those substances in the on the black market.
Well, if there's a dealer selling bad stuff, people have tested it, they're not going to go back and buy from them. I was just sending me a look online. You can buy bloody testing kits here in Melbourne for Amazon.
I think there's yeah, and I think that if this is something that's going to save lives. It's absolutely necessary. There's been much debate about it for a very long time. It's a trial, it's going to be rolled out and I think we should definitely support it.
Well, look, we've got to take a break. We're going to check in news and then on the other side of this to wrap up the topic, someone who can talk firsthand. Her son was a victim of taking something. He's still alive, but he took something that was cut badly. We're going to hear her side of the story next on over.
So we've had lots of cause, lots of debate this morning, Jason Lauren.
Yeah, and the cause we're getting through is literally fifty to fifty split against and four pill testing.
Well, this was Karen on the phone before who was dead set against it. Wouldn't you prefer they got it tested and knew what was in it and then be able to make the decision on whether they take it.
Well, I don't think it makes any difference. They're going to take an illegal drug, legal drugs.
Yes, Karen's argument was that drugs are illegal and that's the end of the story.
Ultimately, this is something that is saving lives. We've got a mum on the line. Kathy from Greensboro. Kathy's son overdosed at one of these notorious festivals that was held at Flemington earlier this year. Kathy, good morning, good morning. What do you how are you? By the way, thanks for joining.
Us, Thank you.
What do you make of this news?
I have a mixed feeling about it. I don't it scares me in a way. You know, my son was one of the I think there was twelve of them on that particular festival. It was a pretty bad festival. It was in all the papers on the news. He was one of those kids. And they asked permission to do bloods on all of those ones that overdose, him being one of them. And you know, we even thought, oh he's got dirty tablets or it's a dirty dose or whatever. So it came back it was clean. There
was nothing else. So all the bloods that came back, they said, it was just it was just a perfect storm on that day because it was extremely hot, it was very humid, under the tenth a bit of dehydration, and it just it just exacerbated all of the things that those drugs do to the body.
And it just Cathy, just quickly. I think it's important that we point out that your son overdosed. But he's okay now.
Yes, he was in intensive care for two days.
Wow.
I actually watched. I got there to pick them all up, and I couldn't get in contact with them. And then one of his friends entered the phone and said, oh, he's not good, and I just thought, oh, he's drunk as usual. So I went into the ground and they said, no, he's unconscious. Get to the tense and I had to watch them sedating, put him on life support and follow the ambulance to the hospital and not knowing if he was going to live or die, we had to wait.
It was twenty four hours on life support and then you know, fortunately all of those kids survived. But it just it scares me because had if he had had that pill tested, they would have said, yeah, that's fine to take.
And that's the conversation, Kathy, because while we are saying we think it's a you know, many people think it's a great initiative and it will save lives, there has been a conversation that thinks that this will encourage people to do it, and things like overdoses and the risk that taking illegal drugs.
Has.
It's not eradicated by the pill testing. There's still so much dangerous.
There's got to be education with it as well, and they get to roll out the plan of how exactly.
But I think these conversations, Kathy, thank you so much for you know. I'm sure you are having to be really brave to read as person.
But I thought I didn't call when you first put it out, but I thought like he didn't have thirty drugs, they with clean drugs, and we still ended up with the same result. Fortunately he's okay, And I don't know how I feel about the pill testing on half half. If it does save lives, that's fantastic, but it's not going to be the one hundred percent.
But if which it sounds like we don't know the full story of it, but it does sound like there will be a large part of education in this as well of teaching people.
How to how to be safe.
Kathy, as a mum who has been through a horrible situation, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Does this debate? Does it rattle you? Does it make you feel emotional?
Really?
I mean, how do you feel this morning? You're emotional about it.
I am emotional because it all comes back to me that I wouldn't want to see another parents go through. Like I'm not naive. They go to parties, you know, they go to festivals, and I say to him, be safe, please don't don't do it. But if you think you know, I have a great relationship. But if you think you know, they think that they're invincible when they're young, like we all did you know, and you get that phone call and you just can't believe it. It's surreal and it's not fun to go through.
You never think it's going to be your child or one of their friends.
You've definitely a different perspective to the argument. I can tell you that one.
Cathy, thank you so much.
We appreciate you jumping on with us this morning because it's it's not an easy conversation.
To have, and it's conversation that has to continue as well. Were it. Yeah, we yet to find out all the details of how it'll unfold, but testing needs to come with education.
You're on the show tomorrow as well.
Yes, we'll dive into it again. Then this is no Ova Morning.
Jason Lauren, Jason Lauren, Wake Up feeling good on over one hundred Lauren on socials