As the national debate on festival pill testing rages on, a University of Newcastle health expert is preparing for a public lecture on the need to address mass-gathering drug use.
Professor Alison Hutton is highlighting youth events like Schoolies Week and festivals as key sites for serious public health concerns like excessive alcohol consumption and drug use.
She says we need more research into actual drug use levels and demographics before we can hope to address the issue.
"It's really hard to tell, because it's underground," she explains, "we don't know enough about it because it's illegal and people don't talk about it.
"We know that many men over the age of 35 do take recreational drugs as well, but unfortunately, we've decided this problem is fit for young people, and that's not necessarily true."
Professor Hutton believes pill testing does represent a good way to talk to people thinking of using drugs, by informing them what substance they are taking, how strong it is and what it does to their bodies.
The contentious issue has been in the headlines recently following the overdose deaths of a 23-year-old man and 21-year-old woman at Sydney's Defqon 1 event on September 15.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to shut down the event, but critics say that will only force drug-taking further underground.
Professor Hutton will use her lecture to argue we need to be increasing youth engagement with police, and says there's a few strategies which have already proven successful interstate.
"In Adelaide, a lot of young people used to drive their cars down to Schoolies, and anyone who drove their car would be offered free parking, but a condition of that free parking would be that they would have to give their keys over to the police.
"If they wanted to drive during the week, they had to go and see police, take a breathalyser test and walk a line - if they were sober they could have their keys," she explained.
Professor Hutton's lecture will be held at the Newcastle Conservatorium on Thursday 27 September from 6pm - register for free here.
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| Image: The Music Network. |
