As tens of thousands of school leavers descend upon the Gold Coast for Schoolies festivities, the event’s first-ever pill testing site is preparing to kick into gear, even as questions surround its future.
Queensland Police have vowed to have a significant presence throughout Surfers Paradise over the next two weeks.
“We’re going to have lots of police on the ground,” Craig Hanlon from Queensland Police said.
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“You will not be able to move in the Schoolies precinct without seeing a police officer.”
However, one area police won’t be patrolling is the first-ever pill testing site.
“We’ll test the sample, we’ll find the result really quickly, and then we’ll explain the risks of the drug to that person,” Cameron Francis from site operator Cheqpoint said.
However, even if the harm-reduction initiative is proven successful this year, its future remains uncertain under the newly elected state government.
“It will go ahead this year, but our ongoing position is that we don’t support it,” Youth Minister Sam O’Connor said.
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“There is no safe way to take drugs.”
A dedicated team of doctors and nurses is prepping for around 100 presentations a night at its emergency treatment centre during Schoolies.
“The typical presentations that we see are drug and alcohol intoxication, we see lots of minor injuries,” centre lead Dr Jeff Hooper said.
“Stay safe, look after your mates, if you’re in trouble or you’re concerned, come to us, it’s a non-judgmental space,” he said.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.