Who doesn’t think prohibition is a bad idea these days? Too many to count, especially in countries that should be setting the standard for intelligence. Australia’s drug policies remain planted in the idea that testing illicit substances to make sure that they are not adulterated, dangerous, or possibly lethal is not something that should be done. Considering the deaths that occurred at major festivals over the course of a year because of people taking what they believed was MDMA, it’s fair now to say that this government(specifically NSW Deputy Primier Troy Grant) believes that this behavior will green-light drug use.
In an attempt to drive the opposing side home, Vice set out to Bush Doof to test people’s drugs themselves using a chemical testing kit. Their finds included a good few instances of people having something they did not think they were paying for. Some resolved not to take said drugs, some decided to do so anyway despite the larger risk; the big learn made from this from vice was that it’s important for people to know exactly what they are taking so that no unexpected incidents occur; that is the nature of harm reduction. This in tandem with a thorough education of a given drug’s effect on the human body is crucial to lessen the fatalities sustained at events.
Read Vice’s full coverage here.
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