Pharmacy Daily | PSA supports pill testing

THE Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has released a new position statement in support of a trial of pill testing and drug checking services.

The announcement follows a spate of recent deaths from illicit drug use at music festivals, with PSA National President, Dr Chris Freeman, saying the PSA believed further pill testing trials should be conducted in environments where illicit drug use occurs.

"Pill testing is a harm minimisation service that analyses the content of illicit drugs to warn people about unknown and potentially lethal contaminants," Freeman explained, with illicit drug use causing 2.3% of the total burden of disease and injury in Australia according to 2011 figures.

He said PSA considered pill testing to be consistent with principles of harm reduction.

"Pill testing informs people of the risks of illicit drugs without giving the impression that the drugs are safe - they are still illegal and potentially harmful," he said.

Freeman noted that pharmacists have had a long and established role in harm minimisation, such as Opioid Replacement Therapy and needle and syringe programs, as well as the provision of naloxone.

"However Australia is lagging behind other countries where pharmacists play a more prominent role in minimising harm from illicit drugs...outside of emergency settings Australia has no ongoing sanctioned pill testing services, even though evidence shows young people are supportive of these services and would use them".

He noted that several European jurisdictions were already providing such services, such as Austria, France, Portugal and the Netherlands.

"The evidence from Europe is clear: pill testing saves lives.

"It's time to invest in national trials and research so we can make informed decisions about pill testing," Freeman said.

"Law enforcement by itself does not stop people from dying but pill testing, as a supplement strategy, can," he concluded.