Pubdate: Tue, 17 Apr 2001
Source: West Australian (Australia)
Copyright: 2001 West Australian Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.thewest.com.au
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495
Author: Nick Miller
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

CLUBS FLAG ECSTASY TESTS

Dance party promoters are considering bringing on-site ecstasy pill testing 
to events in Perth.

Partygoers would be able to take their ecstasy pills to a testing station 
at the event, where a chemical test would give them a rough idea of what 
the pill contained.

Enlighten, an organisation which runs on-site testing in New South Wales 
and Victoria, said some Perth promoters had expressed an interest in 
bringing the tests to WA.

However, there were no confirmed plans yet because of concerns about the 
local police policy on ecstasy testing.

John Davidson, of Enlighten, said police in Victoria and NSW had adopted a 
"don't ask don't tell" attitude, but police in Queensland had told 
promoters that anyone conducting on-site testing would be arrested and charged.

Enlighten's on-site testing in Victoria found that about half the pills 
taken at the events that were thought to be ecstasy turned out to be 
something else.

Of the non-ecstasy pills, about half were speed and the other half were 
speed mixed with ketamine - an easily obtained tranquilliser used to fake 
the "trippy" effect of ecstasy.Mr Davidson said a few pills contained no 
identifiable active ingredient and claimed that on-site testing could help 
save lives.

"For instance, if a pill contained (the potentially fatal ingredient) PMA 
that would show up on the test and we could warn people," Mr Davidson said.

He said the test was analogous to condom use preventing sexually 
transmitted diseases - it was not 100 per cent safe, but it was much better 
than no protection at all.

A WA police spokesman could not confirm whether the police had a firm 
policy on on-site ecstasy testing. He warned that the tests could not tell 
users what other harmful substances might be present in an ecstasy tablet.

A spokesman for Health Minister Bob Kucera said ecstasy testing kits could 
be a topic for discussion at the Government's proposed drug summit. But 
they were not on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Australian 
Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs.

When the availability of the testing kits was made public last June, they 
were condemned by police and then police minister Kevin Prince who said 
they promoted drug use.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager