AMA rejects call for ecstasy tests
Author: The Age
Saturday, November 6, 2004
November 6, 2004 - 1:15PM
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has refused to back a leading drug agency's proposal to test ravers' ecstasy pills at a dance party this month.
The Victorian government said it did not condone drug use but was yet to rule out the initiative.
The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) has approached Victoria Police for permission to test ravers' ecstasy pills at the Earthcore event in Shepparton, north of Melbourne, and proposes party-goers be free from prosecution.
Under the plan, doctors would advise ravers whether their pills, which cost about $35 on the black market, contain MDMA (pure ecstasy) or other deadly ingredients, such as PMA or ketamine.
But AMA vice president Mukesh Haikerwal said it would not support any legalised drug taking or testing.
Dr Haikerwal said although people would continue to experiment with drugs at rave parties, the initiative sent the wrong message to the public.
He said testing did not factor in issues such as quantity of drugs taken, the medical condition of ravers or their intake of water throughout the event.
"The concern is that no matter what the quantity or quality of pill, it's not safe," Dr Haikerwal said.
"Regardless of whether you test it (pills) to make sure it's not more harmful, it's still dangerous no matter how pure or impure it is."
A spokesman for Victorian Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said the government supported harm minimisation but did not condone drug use. Nor did it believe the kits used to test drugs were an accurate measure of the substances in a pill.
"The kits could give people a false sense of confidence and therefore add to the danger," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said it had not reviewed the ADF's proposal so could not rule out the initiative yet.
Ecstasy-testing kits are available in Victoria, but no government-funded body has been involved in offering the service.
The ADF's push is the first step towards legal ecstasy testing in Australia, a huge policy shift for the partly government-funded organisation.
It comes after Red Mitsubishi ecstasy tablets caused two deaths and dozens of overdoses last month.
About 20,000 people head to Earthcore every year, which will this year be held in Shepparton, north of Melbourne, from November 26 to 28.
- AAP
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