Legal Drug Testing: How NZ is Making Waves with Legislation

Most of us students have been, or are planning to go to a music festival. Whether it is Northern Bass, Homegrown or Twisted Frequency, the use of substances is an undeniable reality. Regardless of your stance on drugs, we can all agree on one thing: People should know what they're taking.

Drug checking isn't new. It's been around since the 90s, with countries like the Netherlands making the first moves. Only in the last few years has New Zealand’s legislation caught up, now pushing ahead with a strong commitment to the issue.

25th of November, 2021 marked the start of a world first, with the assenting of The Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Act 2021. This act made amendments to a range of laws relevant to this process. While drug checking in other countries still operates in a legal grey area, New Zealand has made it entirely legal, and this change is here to stay. [3] [5]

As all this is happening, there is a guardian angel that has been operating since 2015. ‘Know Your Stuff’ provides free, safe and legal drug checking for anybody that needs it. They take small samples and match it up to an expansive database. If they can’t find a match, it is added, with an anonymous way to see the progress weeks later. This database is not only used in NZ but internationally, further proving we are making strides in this area. These services were only available at certain festivals but are becoming more widely available with the help of the new legislation and recent government funding. They are now licensed to operate while complying to regulation of approved testing methods. [1][3][6]

New Zealand's innovative approach has caught the world's eye, with advocates pushing for even more progress. They are seen as a significant step towards harm reduction, not only at festivals but in the wider community. The aim is to foster innovation in drug checking without stifling new technology. A study consisting of 911 surveys and 66 interviews found that 68% of festival-goers in New Zealand changed their behaviour based on drug-checking results. Additionally, over 95% of the participants supported drug checking and were in favour of the change in legislation. [2][3][4]

So even if you don’t agree with everything the government does, we can appreciate the steps they are taking to make festivals a safer and more enjoyable experience. Be sure to look out for the bright yellow signs; the folks behind them are friendly and knowledgeable. Better safe than sorry, peace of mind can go a long way.

If you are keen to volunteer, a promoter who wants their services or just looking for somewhere local for a check, go to their website: www.knowyourstuff.nz. And as always, stay safe. Peace.

Sources:

  1. Ministry of Health NZ. "Drug checking." Link.

  2. Hutton, Fiona. "Drug checking in New Zealand: the 2020 and 2021 drug and substance checking legislation acts," Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, Vol. 23 No. 3, 2022.

  3. McClure, Toby. "New Zealand to enshrine protections for pill testing in ‘world first’," The Guardian, 2021, Link.

  4. Hutton, Fiona. "Drug Checking at New Zealand Festivals (Final Report)." Figshare, 2021, Link.

  5. "Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Act 2021." New Zealand Legislation, 2021, Link.

  6. "Our History." Know Your Stuff NZ, Link.

Author: Destin Finn

Destin Finn