In a rare case of QLD being ahead of the times, the Sunshine State in introducing pill testing at festivals..

But in all seriousness, this is great news. Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath is leading the charge to help festival-goers make better decisions when it comes to illegal substances. And let’s face it, we don’t want anyone ending up in the emergency room or worse because they didn’t know what was in their pills.

Canberra tried it out first, but now it’s Queensland’s turn to step up to the plate. CEO of the Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies, Rebecca Lang, says pill testing is a “pragmatic and effective way to reduce the potential for drug-related harm.” Can’t argue with that.

We’re not sure how many testing sites will pop up around the state, but if the 146 walk-ins during the first three months of the Canberra trial are anything to go by, it’s going to be a popular service. And the testing process sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. Fourier Transform Device Spectrometer? Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography? Umm… ok scientists.

But seriously, this is a game-changer for festivals in Queensland. Now, if only we could get them to catch up with daylight savings too…