Festival drug testing law to be made permanent, Health Minister Andrew Little says
9 Apr, 2021 01:15 AM
2 minutes to read
The temporary drug testing bill is set to expire in December but Health Minister Andrew Little says fresh legislation will be passed this year. Photo / File
The temporary drug testing bill is set to expire in December but Health Minister Andrew Little says fresh legislation will be passed this year. Photo / File
RNZ
The Government has given a permanent all-clear for pill testing at summer festivals, allowing partygoers to check whether their illicit drugs have been laced.
MPs rushed through interim legislation under urgency late last year to ensure volunteer checkers would not be prosecuted over the holiday period.
Source: New Zealand Government
Interim legislation that is already proving to keep people safer from drugs will be made permanent, Health Minister Andrew Little says.
Research by Victoria University, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, shows that the Government’s decision in December to make it legal for drug-checking services to operate at festivals over the summer is changing people’s behaviour.
“The Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Act 2020 – known as the Drug Checking Act – is already having an impact,” Andrew Little said.
“It allows voluntary organisations like KnowYourStuff to test drugs at events like music festivals to verify they are what people think they are, without running foul of the law.
Minister of Health
Interim
legislation that is already proving to keep people safer
from drugs will be made permanent, Health Minister Andrew
Little says.
Research by Victoria University, on
behalf of the Ministry of Health, shows that the
Government’s decision in December to make it legal for
drug-checking services to operate at festivals over the
summer is changing people’s behaviour.
“The Drug
and Substance Checking Legislation Act 2020 – known as the
Drug Checking Act – is already having an impact,” Andrew
Little said.
“It allows voluntary organisations like
KnowYourStuff to test drugs at events like music festivals
to verify they are what people think they are, without