The Government have enforced stricter penalties for those supplying drugs at music festivals, with New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announcing new laws which will see those caught dealing at festivals slapped with a 10-25 year jail sentence if the drugs they supply cause death.
The decision comes in the wake of two suspected overdoses which occurred at Defqon.1 in Penrith last month, both proving fatal, with a further two attendees being admitted to hospital in critical condition due to drug use at the festival. In addition to the new law around drug fatalities, the Premier also hopes to ban both pill testing and Defqon.1 from occurring in NSW in the future.
The concept of pill testing has been hotly debated in light of several fatal overdoses occurring at music festivals over the years, with this year’s Groovin The Moo in Canberra becoming the first Australian music festival to hold a legal pill testing site for patrons. The process proved successful, with some festival-goers opting to bin their drugs after learning their ingredients, though it is yet to be seen if we can expect pill testing to become a regular feature at live music events.
Though the new law will only affect NSW, it will be interesting to see if other states follow Berejiklian in enforcing stricter rules around drug use and supply at festivals.
Music festivals are a significant part of NSW’s entertainment scene. But we owe it to young people and their families to make sure they are safe. The NSW Government will improve safety at festivals by implementing the recommendations of an expert panel: https://t.co/eGi2veIxJ2. pic.twitter.com/16yvhppIXI
— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) 23 October 2018
