CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.A. Simms:

That this council—

1. Notes that CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service:

(a) is Australia's first fixed-site health and drug checking service, launched by the Australian Capital Territory government as a six-month pilot on 21 July 2022, and has been extended for another six months;

(b) provides a confidential pill-testing service that analyses contents of drugs to help service users better understand the unknown and potentially dangerous substances in illicit drugs; and

(c) provides appropriate information, counselling and advice to service users based on their specific test result, to encourage choices that reduce overall drug use and the harms associated with taking illicit drugs.

2. Recognises that drug checking is a harm reduction service that leads to most users of the service opting to discard tainted drugs.

3. Calls on the Malinauskas government to establish the fixed-site health and drug checking service in South Australia.

(Continued from 22 February 2023)

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (18:07): I will speak briefly to this particular motion and note that it has been established Greens policy to support pill testing or illicit drug testing, I think it is. In this case 'pill' can be a much more generic term, which could refer to a range of things, including legal and controlled manufactured drugs.

This particular motion follows an initiative in the ACT in which the ACT government initiated Australia's first fixed-site health and drug-checking service, the CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service, as a six-month pilot project. I understand the intention is to reduce drug-related harm through pill testing and provide health consultations and referrals for those individuals using illicit substances. Such services have been available in other jurisdictions for approximately 25 years.

Proponents of these measures argue that it can positively impact the illicit drug market and creates an opportunity to provide support to users and information. I do note that in more recent years, organisations such as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners have been more in favour of it. I understand the broad opposition from the medical profession and pharmacologists and the like has over a period of time been because the efficacy of such services can be very questionable, in that a dose which has an impact on one person can have a very significant different impact on other people depending on their particular make-up in terms of cell receptors, their size and age, and a range of other measures.

I think there are still concerns that remain in relation to the safety of these matters, and concerns about the accuracy of some of the services, and, in terms of illicit drugs that are not made through the purity of a proper regulated laboratory, there can be a range of other substances which may not be immediately detected by onsite drug-testing services and require fairly sophisticated laboratory equipment. The risks, we believe, remain and therefore we will not be supporting this motion.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (18:10): I rise to make some brief comments on behalf of the government on this motion. The government does not have any policy position to support pill testing in South Australia. As a result, we are unable to support this motion.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (18:10): I thank members for their contribution: the Hon. Michelle Lensink and the Hon. Tung Ngo for what was a very brief contribution. He was not kidding when he said it was going to be brief.

The PRESIDENT: Hear, hear!

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: It was briefer than I had possibly imagined it could be.

The PRESIDENT: A marvellous contribution.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Might I say, I am disappointed to see the two major political parties in this place failing to adopt a position in favour of drug and pill testing. South Australia is at odds with almost every other jurisdiction in our country now. The ACT has pill testing available. New South Wales is trialling pill testing at the moment. Victoria is trialling pill testing. Even the conservative government in Queensland is trialling pill testing. Why not South Australia? Why are we not going down this path? I think it is very disappointing that the two major parties are avoiding taking a position on such an important issue.

The fixed-site drug-checking facility I had the opportunity to visit in the ACT when it first opened up is a really impressive facility and I encourage members of this place to check it out when they are in Canberra and have a look at the incredible service that is being provided. This is not about being soft on drugs; this is about saving lives.

I know from discussions that I have had with many parents who have children who are in their teenage years in particular that this is something they welcome because it gives people information about potentially dangerous substances and encourages them to make safe choices. It is also important to note—and this was confirmed to me when I spoke to the health workers in the ACT—that no drug-testing facility encourages people to take drugs, and all drug-testing facilities make it very clear to the people who use those facilities that taking illicit substances is always dangerous, it is always risky.

The whole purpose of the exercise is to mitigate risk and to save lives. It is certainly clear from what has unfolded, particularly interstate in Victoria, where young people have suffered long-term adverse health consequences, that we should be doing everything we can to provide our young people in particular with the information they need to make smart choices. I encourage the two major political parties in this place to show some leadership on this issue and to listen to the health advice. This is backed by the AMA and a range of other organisations. This is not a radical Greens idea; it is mainstream and it is time for the two major parties to get with the program.

The council divided on the motion:

Ayes 2

Noes 13

Majority 11

AYES

NOES

Motion thus negatived.