MEDIA RELEASE
1 December 2015
Harm Minimisation Approach Key To Preventing Drug Deaths
Greens NSW MP and Drugs & Harm Minimisation spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, has called for a harm minimisation approach to preventing drug deaths, following the tragic death of Sylvia Choi at the Stereosonic festival over the weekend, reportedly following the use of drugs.
Dr Faruqi said:
“I think we can all agree that our priority must be an evidence based approach that is focused on saving lives. That is why harm minimisation is key.
“The reality is that drug use occurs in the community and that is unlikely to change. Our challenge is to find the policy parameters that are focussed on preventing harm, not simply to look like we are doing something.
“At festivals, this could include pill testing to identify harmful contaminants and to check the purity of the drug before people take it as well as having far more trained medical and support staff at big events like these.
“Banging our head against the wall and sending more and more police to further criminalise drug use in our community just isn’t working. We owe it to the community to take a nuanced and evidence based approach to reducing harm and enacting global best practice here in NSW” Dr Faruqi concluded.
