Calls for drug test for New Zealand festival turned down as fake ecstasy and cocaine sweep the country

New Zealand’s advocates for drug-testing at music festivals have renewed their calls for these to be introduced.

Know Your Stuff and The Drug Foundation made the calls after alarming data emerged of secret tests conducted at events over summer.

Know Your Stuff director Wendy Allison had a month ago warned that fake ecstasy was sweeping the country.

She said they contained - Ethylpentylone - a drug three times stronger than ecstasy.

13 people were recently hospitalised in Christchurch after taking it.

Calling for the desperate need for “an early warning system,” the group has urged Wellington’s Homegrown festival next month to allow screenings

But Homegrown promoter Andrew Tuck, whose event is expected to draw 20,000 to the city’s waterfront, said he could not because these were legally “a grey area”.

Tuck added, "We have a motto at Homegrown that we treat everyone like a brother or sister so any time I can stop a brother or sister from taking something, I'd be all over it.

“But in this case, our hands are tied."

All he could do, he said, was to set up medical treatment areas for quick treatment if something unfortunate happened.

The Drug Foundation's Samuel Andrews told one media outlet that he understood Homegrown's stance.

"We have been doing drug checking at some festivals, but that's down long dusty paths and quite small festivals.

"Homegrown has a much higher profile, so it is understandable that it is too much of a legal risk to them to provide this lifesaving service.”

Know Your Stuff is calling for the New Zealand government to clarify the law.

Unauthorised tests by conducted by the group this summer revealed that some festival goers have been sold deliberately deceptive mixtures of drugs.

Some mixtures were sold as MDMA but contained only small amounts of MDMA alongside more toxic chemicals.

Some mixtures were sold as cocaine but instead contained more toxic mixes of stimulants and anaesthetics as bath salts.

“This summer we have seen mixtures that appear to be made up to deliberately mislead people,” Allison said.

“Unregulated markets have poor quality control and unscrupulous dealers will sell products that maximise their profits, putting consumers’ health at risk”

What was also alarming was that drug dealers are utilising toxics that will fool dug tests.

Several samples collected over summer supposedly of MDMA were a mix of MDMA and cathinones.

The MDMA produces dark colours with commonly-available reagent tests, masking the colours from the unwanted cathinones.