Hi all! Here is my speech for my topic on pill testing (and that it should be implemented in music festivals across Australia). I'm a bit worried that it is too informative and not persuasive enough. I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some bit of feedback? I apologise and thank you in advance if so, as it is quite long! ** side question: I was wondering, would it be appropriate to have the target audience as the Australian/NSW government? or should I stick to it being year 12 students or individuals who are against pill testing?
Callum Brosnan, Ebony Greening, Diana Nguyen, Joseph Pham, Alex Ross-King, Josh Tam, Dassarn Tarbutt. Those are the names of the 7 individuals who have died from drug overdoses at music festivals in Australia in the last 10 months. That is a list that is 7 names too long, and could have been prevented if the government had offered on-site pill testing at the music festivals they attended. Pill testing at music festivals is necessary in this day and age, because the drugs that are being consumed at such events are recreational drugs, which are unregulated. Hence, the consumption of these drugs leads to a higher risk of drug poisoning, contamination or even an overdose if the consumer has no idea about the drug’s purity or contents. Good morning teachers and students. I believe that pill testing should be implemented at music festivals across Australia. Regardless of your attitude towards the consumption of drugs and substances, don’t you agree that deaths of our future generation must be prevented if possible?
First and foremost, pill testing has the ability to lessen the harm or prevent the deaths of many festival attendees. It is ignorant to say that pill testing can give people a false sense of security about illicit drugs, when the evidence and statistics that indicate pill testing prevents overdoses are available in plain sight. For example, the United Kingdom held their first pill testing trial in 2016, and there was a 95% reduction in drug overdose related hospital admissions that year. Even locally, at Australia’s first legal pill testing trial in Canberra in 2018, at least 5 people discarded their drugs, 10 to 20 percent of tested users considered throwing out their drugs, and there were no deaths. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has argued that if an attendee’s drug is cleared of unknown substances, they may feel that it is safe to consume more of that drug. However, she is unaware that when an attendee enters the pill testing venue, they are never told that their drug is safe, and are advised instead that not taking any drugs at all would be the best choice. Furthermore, attendees are even informed about the the effects and risks associated to consuming that drug. If anything, attendees are more likely to discard their substance after hearing of the possible ramifications of drug use. Pill testing does not, and will not give people a sense of security about consuming their substance. At the end of the day, festival-goers want to go home safe, and the presence of a pill testing station only acts as a support for this. People argue that the only reliable way to end drug related deaths at music festivals is by the use of abstinence, the complete restraint of any drug use at all, but people are bound to take drugs regardless of the restrictions that are implemented. For example, we all know that the legal drinking age is 18, yet many young people still drink before then. Ultimately, pill testing is intended to reduce the risk of this existing practice. It is acknowledged that with pill testing, deaths or injuries can still occur, and if they do occur, there will be the question of who is responsible for the death. However, as previously mentioned, at no point are individuals told that their pill or substance is safe to consume, and are advised to completely discard of it, so the medical staff won’t be held responsible. Furthermore, the implementation of pill testing at music festivals where medical staff are already on high alert will also assist them in their treatment. Medical personnels can have the confidence of knowing exactly what the victim consumed, should a drug overdose still occur, and will then be able to provide the correct treatment. Wouldn’t it be better to ensure that those taking drugs are safe, rather than attempting to ban drugs when people are going to use them anyway?
Moreover, pill testing has the ability to educate festival-goers about drugs and more importantly, the consequences associated with consuming them. Drugs and drug overdoses are not a topic that is widely discussed at most schools, and it is crucial for individuals to acquire this knowledge, especially young graduates around the age of 18 to 24, as those are the people who usually attend music festivals where drugs are prevalent. Addiction expert Stephen Bright commented that ‘there were several cases in which people who were thinking about taking ecstasy for the first time actually changed their mind after speaking with an on-site expert’. In fact, the presence of a pill testing site at festivals accentuates the concern of a possible drug overdose, and turns the perception of a risk into a real risk for festival-goers. Some politicians argue that implementing pill testing will promote drug use, and may eventually lead to the decriminalisation of illicit drugs. However, they fail to realise that pill testing is targeted towards individuals who already have the intention of consuming drugs, and the aim is to try and mitigate their risks. In reality, festival attendees that consume drugs just want to have a good time, and if they are educated about the dangerous substances that could be present in their drugs, they are more likely to make sensible decision in the future. Furthermore, the issue of peers encouraging and pressuring their friends to consume drugs can be reduced with the presence of a pill testing station. These individuals who have been pressured to take drugs are usually unaware of the life-threatening risks of consuming drugs, and having a medical expert onsite offers them the opportunity to be educated firsthand. As a result, they are more likely to be able to independently make smarter choices next time. For the concern of the decriminalisation of illicit substances, it is extremely unlikely that pill testing will lead to the legalisation of illicit drugs. This is because at no time during the testing are any substances, regardless of its legality, said to be safe or suitable for consumption. Pill testing is not focused on the approval of drugs, but instead focused on reducing the risk of harm by drugs.
Thirdly, pill testing can lead to the discovery of new substances, as well as the improvement of technology, which can therefore enhance the quality of medical research. At Australia’s first pill testing trial in Canberra, new substances were already identified, and over time, these substances can be added to Australia’s drug database. Data obtained from tested samples at pill testing sites can also provide ‘real-time’ drug market monitoring, and can be used to identify trends in drug type, purity or use. All of this information can be used as medical research, for example, for healthcare professionals to identify the most popular drugs, and improve the quality of medical assistance towards those specific drug-related injuries. There is apprehension concerning the technology used in pill testing sites being unable to identify the exact nature of every drug, and hence becoming a waste of taxpayer money. However, it is clear that this technology still provides users with the intended outcome, a clear result of the purity level of the drug or substance, and any traces of a contamination of violation of the substance’s purity. A substance’s purity, defined as how accurately the substance is what it claims to be, is vital in determining whether it has been contaminated or contains unknown substances, potentially saving lives. At the ‘Groovin The Moo’ pill testing trial in Canberra, a technology known as infrared spectroscopy was used to check drug samples against an archive of over 30,000 chemical compounds including dangerous substances. This technology is already incredibly advanced and has been labelled as one of the best methods for analysing contents of a sample. Moreover, the only way that this technology can advance is if it is consistently utilised and refined over time, and we can only do that by implementing this technology at music festivals throughout Australia. Clearly, this is not the primary benefit of pill testing, but evidently, pill testing brings about widespread benefits. Furthermore, those who argue that pill testing will be a waste of taxpayer money do not think about the other procedures that are already undertaken with their tax money. In fact, the New South Wales government has already placed excessive ‘mandatory bills’ for police, ambulance, and sniffer dogs to be present at music festivals as an attempt to halt drug overdoses, with costs already entering the 6 figure mark. However, this form of protection initiated by the New South Wales government may not actually be helping, because when festival goers notice the presence of police, they are more likely to quickly consume their substances, with the fear of being caught. As a result, there is a higher risk of overdose. People who attend music festivals just want time to enjoy themselves, and while the excessive presence of law enforcement can prove helpful at times, such as if an overdose does happen and a medic is already on scene, in majority of cases, they just trigger fear in attendees. Conversely, pill testing is a calmer, tangible way of preventing drug overdoses by actually educating the attendee of their safety and having their substances physically tested, prompting future behaviour change. The presence of chemists and professional medical experts already at the pill testing booth also provides maximum safety if the unfortunate occurrence of a drug overdose does occur at the festival.
Stepping away from the health benefits of pill testing, implementing this procedure at festivals around Australia can economically benefit job-seekers. Pill testing opens opportunities not only for medics and nurses who can tend for patients at the actual pill testing sites, but also for budding researchers who want to investigate and study new drugs, as well as engineers and mechanics who can help with developing the technology used at pill testing sites. This also opens opportunities for more individuals to be educated about drugs and the dangers of consuming them, which can lead to a safer nation in the future.
Perhaps the biggest concern regarding pill testing from the festival-goers themselves is the issue of privacy and police intervention. However, it is highly emphasised that the privacy of any individuals wanting to test their pills is secured. At Australia’s first trial, the pill testing facility was located next to only the medical tent, with both sides of the pill testing booth obscured from the rest of the festival grounds to ensure privacy. Additionally, police were not involved at all in this first trial. Even so, if police were present, their main purpose would be to search for potential drug traffickers or people with an unusual amount of substances, as opposed to individuals just wanting to have a good time while being safe. Besides, there is already substantial police and drug dog presence at music festivals, so the only change that would occur if pill testing was implemented would be a lower risk of drug overdoses.
‘Pill testing saves lives – that’s the bottom line’. That is what Dr Hester Wilson, a general practitioner, says. Why should we trust politicians who ignorantly argue against pill testing when medical experts are laying out facts that state pill testing clearly provides more benefits than harm? ‘What would you do if that was your son or daughter? Would you not want somebody to do something about it? They have the power to be able to put a safety net in place.’ Those are words directed to the Australian Government by Ms Adriana Buccianti, the mother of Daniel Buccianti, who died from a drug overdose in 2012, almost a decade ago, and our government still has not done anything to protect our generation from the very real risk of drug overdoses at festivals. The government’s failure to act on this very real issue of drug overdoses at festivals is jeopardising our generation, which is why the testing of illicit drugs must be a standard practice at festivals across Australia. It’s time for the debate regarding drugs and pill testing to be focused on minimising the harm inflicted upon our generation, instead of worrying about the criminal status of drugs.
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