Why is pill testing even a debate?

[indica]

Really? it is a no brainer, legalise all drugs and get over it FFS.

 

[Dozer]

Haha, it leaves me scratching my head as to why someone would create this pill testing thing and basically say it's okay to attempt to make some sort of vile piece of junk that might just maybe pass some pill test so some teeny bopper dickhead can have two hours of smack head fun taking selfies pretending to enjoy music.
I'm all for a good time but if you can't get a rise on a few beers and need to go a bit harder and be a jerk on some fucking spaced out chemical then I reckon you should stay at home and do it instead of overdosing on it in public and ruining a nurse's day when you spew all over her or him at the hospital then die and have some copper make the dreaded house call to your parents who think you're a sweet little angel only to find out A; they're now dead and B; they died swallowing something that was cooked up by an equally brain dead moron gangster that is illegal because it's fucking potently dangerous shit.
I'm not aiming that at you @indica , I just find it totally amazing that a system would be created to condone kids taking drugs instead of sending the right message, like riding bikes or surfing or playing video games or growing vegetables.

 

[indica]

hey dozer that is okay, even if you do aim it at me, i'm a big boy.
proper drugs like weed and mdma are relatively harmless. you say beers? when i was younger and going to big dance parties the drugs were good and clean. no fucker was dying. they were relatively obscure and the good stuff not that hard to make. the issue now is all the shit put in them. no fights ever. no one punch kills, no king hits, none of that shit.

I'm all for a good time but if you can't get a rise on a few beers

no better than anything else, just because it is legal does not mean it is okay

 

[Dales Cannon]

Pill testing should be available. Drugs will be taken regardless of the laws so at least make the tools available to stop people dying from dodgy shit.

 

[caad9]

Pill testing should be available. Drugs will be taken regardless of the laws so at least make the tools available to stop people dying from dodgy shit.

I agree with this, I don't think it will ever stop people, it just may help eliminate a few tragedies along the way.

 

[LPG]

Haha, it leaves me scratching my head as to why someone would create this pill testing thing and basically say it's okay to attempt to make some sort of vile piece of junk that might just maybe pass some pill test so some teeny bopper dickhead can have two hours of smack head fun taking selfies pretending to enjoy music.
I'm all for a good time but if you can't get a rise on a few beers and need to go a bit harder and be a jerk on some fucking spaced out chemical then I reckon you should stay at home and do it instead of overdosing on it in public and ruining a nurse's day when you spew all over her or him at the hospital then die and have some copper make the dreaded house call to your parents who think you're a sweet little angel only to find out A; they're now dead and B; they died swallowing something that was cooked up by an equally brain dead moron gangster that is illegal because it's fucking potently dangerous shit.
I'm not aiming that at you @indica , I just find it totally amazing that a system would be created to condone kids taking drugs instead of sending the right message, like riding bikes or surfing or playing video games or growing vegetables.

I'm never had much to do with anything but alcohol but there are a lot of illegal drugs that are less dangerous and destructive to individuals and society than alcohol is. I'm sure there is an alternate universe where the exact same argument is put forward about another drug and why do kids have to risk getting drunk, fighting and possibly overdosing on dodgy illegal alcohol when they could happily have some safely manufactured pot, MDMA or whatever and enjoy life in a way that is acceptable in their society. Realistically they are probably more right than we are.

 

[Halo1]

Seriously who wants to be responsible for saying this pill is ok for you to take with out knowing med history and all that.

What happens if the pills are bad ? do they go in the bin or just on sold to some fool who can test the hard way but taking a gamble?

I don’t think pill testing is the answer to the problem of bad party drugs, it is just a bandaid that gives a false sense of security.

 

[droenn]

Yep, should definitely be available. People will take pills with or without the testing, at least with the tests you can know if there is something unexpected, especially harmful.

The pill tests NEVER say you should take it, they highlight the risks associated with it, and let you know when there is something REALLY bad in there.

It doesn't condone drug taking in the slightest, it just puts more information in the hand of those that have chosen to partake.

 

[Dales Cannon]

AFAIK the couple of trials simply said this is xxx and has no noted bad things in it or this pill has yyy and shouldnt be taken. After that the pills were handed back to the individual to dump or take. I recall Triple J doing a hack story and mostly the dodgy shit was dumped.

 

[Boom King]

Haha, it leaves me scratching my head as to why someone would create this pill testing thing and basically say it's okay to attempt to make some sort of vile piece of junk that might just maybe pass some pill test so some teeny bopper dickhead can have two hours of smack head fun taking selfies pretending to enjoy music.
I'm all for a good time but if you can't get a rise on a few beers and need to go a bit harder and be a jerk on some fucking spaced out chemical then I reckon you should stay at home and do it instead of overdosing on it in public and ruining a nurse's day when you spew all over her or him at the hospital then die and have some copper make the dreaded house call to your parents who think you're a sweet little angel only to find out A; they're now dead and B; they died swallowing something that was cooked up by an equally brain dead moron gangster that is illegal because it's fucking potently dangerous shit.
I'm not aiming that at you @indica , I just find it totally amazing that a system would be created to condone kids taking drugs instead of sending the right message, like riding bikes or surfing or playing video games or growing vegetables.

People experiment in all sorts of things, have done for eons and will do till we fuck this planet completely, it's part of human nature. I currently choose to experiment on my bicycle while years ago, I experiment with illicit drugs. Nothing too hard but illicit all the same. Your view is very simplistic Dozer and I don't agree that pill testing condones drug taking. Surely, KNOWING that drugs WILL be consumed, testing or not, offering testing to ascertain how lethal they may be is an obvious community service.

 

[Binaural]

The cold reality here is that there isn't a lot of ways the NSW government can find wiggle room for a harm minimisation approach here. Even needle exchanges, which are objectively one of the most successful policies for harm minimisation for drug users that I've ever heard of, don't expose the government or contractor to a duty of care for safe drug use. Rightly or wrongly, people will take drugs under the illusion that they're safe because the government tested them, and come to serious harm or death, regardless of their personal circumstances or tolerance. No disclaimer in the world is going to protect them against the inevitable lawsuits.

 

[Scotty T]

Shits me that media reports these as overdoses. MDMA is very difficult to overdose on. Most people who die with MDMA in their systems die from over heating or exertion, dehydration, tainted pills or all those things at once.

The word overdose makes the public take the view like @Dozer that it's akin to smack and that people taking it are smack heads on spaced out chemicals that killed them because they couldn't help themselves and overdosed. Simply not the case.

 

[Kerplunk]

Shits me that media reports these as overdoses. MDMA is very difficult to overdose on. Most people who die with MDMA in their systems die from over heating or exertion, dehydration, tainted pills or all those things at once.

The word overdose makes the public take the view like @Dozer that it's akin to smack and that people taking it are smack heads on spaced out chemicals that killed them because they couldn't help themselves and overdosed. Simply not the case.

I think the pure mdma overdose amount is huge and very hard to consume in one hit init?
I agree with earlier comments, booze is way fucking worse than recreational party drugs.. I personally know several people close to me that booze has destroyed their lives.. No drugs involved at all..
When my kids get to that age and if I have suspicions they are messing around with pills I get a testing kit and test the pills myself. Information is vital for decision making. If a pill contain bad stuff surely that helps in deterring future drug use rather than encouraging it..

 

[Ultra Lord]

 

[Binaural]

If a pill contain bad stuff surely that helps in deterring future drug use rather than encouraging it..

I would suggest the opposite is true - if you feel like your risk is reduced because the pill has been tested by a trusted authority, you may well encourage people to take chances. That's why a lot of people stop at smoking pot, for example, rather than trying the full gamut of stuff on offer.

 

[indica]

That's why a lot of people stop at smoking pot, for example, rather than trying the full gamut of stuff on offer.

there is no gateway. that is a myth.

 

[danncam]

An old colleague from peninsula health wrote this, very well worth the click and read.

http://theconversation.com/while-la...people-should-test-their-drugs-at-home-109421

 

[Binaural]

there is no gateway. that is a myth.

Who's talking about gateways? I don't subscribe to the concept that successfully trying one drug will encourage you to try others, which I agree is a bogus concept. But of course people will judge the risks when thinking of trying a new drug. There are a lot of people who will try pot based on the very low perceived risk, but baulk at psychedelics or drugs that require injections because that feels more dangerous or risky. I'd say for your average concert goer, pills fit in the middle category where there's some risk of negative consequences, particularly if you don't partake frequently. That's the scenario where pill testing might shift the balance and encourage more people to give them a go.

 

[caad9]

The younger generation are exposed to far more now than ever before, I think correct information is a far better policy than a blanket ‘drugs are bad’ approach.

As mentioned above, I bet there are many instances where the cause of death isn’t drug related, but the person was on drugs so it’s a convenient road to take

Remember when you were taught that all sex led to babies, how different is that reality now!

 

[indica]

encourage more people to give them a go.

i don't think it will, in the long run.
Portugal decriminalised all drugs and has seen a drop in usage, i believe there was an initial increase because people were curious, i think everything should be legalised. a clamp down on weed led to the meth explosion in australia. if weed had been legal back then there would be a very different set of circumstances at play now.
proper recreational drugs are not overly harmful. that is why testing should occur, it is also why legalisation should occur. alcohol is far more damaging than decent chemicals.