It seems that there’s no nanny-state soapbox too pointless that local councils can’t work themselves up into a virtue-signalling lather about it.
Once upon a time, ratepayers laboured under the impression that the role of local councils was to see to it that the rubbish was collected, local business was encouraged, and the neighbourhood kiddies had somewhere decent to kick a ball. Not any more, apparently. Councils these days have far bigger concerns than such trivialities as delivering services to ratepayers.
Councils today seem to have made it their mission to save the world from innumerable perils, from climate change and drinking straws to teenagers popping pingers.
A Hobart culture and events committee has unanimously voted in favour of supporting a pill testing trial at the city’s major events.
The notice of motion set out to minimise the harms associated with illicit drug use at festivals, events, pubs, clubs and venues in Hobart by having in-principle support of pill testing at Hobart events and festivals.
Naturally, this overdose of nanny-state-ism is couched in the usual leftist nostrums of “safety” and “compassion”. However, as members of the public have responded, surely the best way to minimise the harm associated with illicit drug use is to actually enforce the law rather than tacitly encourage law-breaking?
Can they put a new lane on the Brooker [Highway] for drunks? one Hobart local asked. Another wondered whether, if pulled up for a roadside drug test, users could just say u are heading to the festival to get them checked?
The trial would require the state government’s support, but its stance against pill testing had remained firm, with newly appointed Health Minister Sarah Courtney saying pill testing was not supported by the government.
“I think it’s very important that as a government we are not sending mixed messages to young people about whether illicit drugs are safe to use or not,” she said…
After the NSW coronial inquest into six drug-related deaths on the mainland, Cr Ewin said staff would put together a brief and a letter of support to the state government, outlining the council’s stance on pill testing and welcoming a trial in Hobart.
“Safety” is, of course, the great lie being peddled here. Pill-testing merely establishes whether the drugs have likely been adulterated – “cut”, as we used to say – with anything from glucose to rat poison. But, just because a tablet is pure MDMA does not make it “safe”. Most of the deaths from pill-taking at festivals have been overdoses, not tainted drugs.
It says a great deal about the mental acuity of the average pill-taker, in fact, that evidence shows that a significant percentage consume their drugs even after testing shows that they have been adulterated.
A representative from Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drugs Council Tasmania gave a presentation on what pill testing is and isn’t to the Community, Culture and Events Committee at the Wednesday night meeting.
examiner.com.au
Almost certainly not discussed was the single, basic fact about pill-testing: it’s your problem, druggo. No-one else’s.
Pill-testing kits are easily available on ebay for a few dollars. If people can afford the event tickets and afford to buy the drugs then they should also pay for the pills to be tested themselves, said another Hobart resident. How about people accepting responsibility for their stupidity instead of us taxpayers having to fund things like pill testing. Simple solution. If you take illicit drugs, you know the risks.
Now, in my day, you took that brown acid and you rode that bad trip like a man. Unfortunately, “personal responsibility” is a foreign concept to a generation who’ve been raised with the message that everything is a “right” and taxpayers have to give it to them.
