One young festival-goer in his 20s was hospitalised after a suspected drug overdose at the Beyond the Valley festival, where Victoria’s first pill-testing trial is underway.
Paramedics were called to the festival grounds on Saturday around 4:40pm, and the man was transported to Geelong University Hospital in serious but stable condition.
He was discharged the following morning, with a spokesperson for the Geelong University Hospital later confirming the overdose.
Organisers of the pill-testing facility, which is run by youth support and advocacy service The Loop Australia alongside Harm Reduction Victoria, said that it is not possible to confirm whether the man utilised their service as the testing process is entirely anonymous.
The trial aims to identify high-risk substances, such as potent narcotics like nitazenes, in recreational drugs. So far, no such substances have been found among the approximately 300 samples tested by Sunday afternoon, two days into the four-day festival.
Cam Francis, CEO of The Loop Australia, highlighted the risks of high-purity MDMA, which often contributes to medical emergencies at festivals. “At a festival of this scale, those types of hospital transports are not uncommon,” he told The Age. “We know that MDMA purity is high all around the world right now, so that’s a risk factor for all music festivals, and that’s what we’re here to try and address.”
The mobile drug-checking service at Beyond the Valley is part of an 18-month state government trial to explore the best model for drug reform. Over the next two summers, pop-up testing sites will operate at 10 Victorian festivals.
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Staffed by 16 chemists, health workers and support staff, the mobile service is testing up to 200 drug samples daily—more than any other Australian pill-testing initiative.
Punters can visit the tent from 1pm until 7pm, where their substances are analysed for content and purity. They also receive harm-reduction advice, including guidance on dosage.
New South Wales will commence a 12-month trial of pill testing at music festivals in 2025, it was announced earlier this month.
