Pill-testing has been banned from schoolies. Here’s what teens really think about it
The government’s tough stance resonated with some young adults, like 17-year-old Lara.
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“I think the message the government is trying to send is that they don’t want people to do this… so they’re taking it away,” he said.
“There’s no point in testing if you’re going to buy it anyway.”
An evaluation of CheQpoint’s drug checking services found that 44 percent of people surveyed had not used the substance they tested for.
Harris, a high school graduate, said he believes removing the facilities would not stop people from taking drugs, but would eliminate potentially life-saving information.
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“Sometimes having enough information can make the difference between taking a pill that is 3 out of 10 bad or a pill that is 10 out of 10 bad,” he said.
For him, this choice felt like a step in the wrong direction. “It’s annoying. For example, why couldn’t we get it, but did they understand?”
He realized that this might not be true for everyone, but for some young people, the results from pill testing could be lifesaving.
“Not being able to test for an avid drug user [pills] “It might not be that important,” he said.
“But for me or any 17-year-old kid, if there’s anything crazy about it [fentanol]I wouldn’t touch it.
Political debate continues to rage as Brisbane’s Year 12 students embark on a journey down the M1 this weekend, but the government appears unwilling to make changes.
Deputy Prime Minister Jarrod Bleijie accused the Labor Party of “opening up a welcome mat for drug dealers” when asked by this imprint about its approach.
“As a father of two adults and a teenage child, I want to do everything we can to protect the health and safety of our youth,” he said.
