Former police commissioner endorses Groovin The Moo pill testing trial

Former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Palmer has thrown his weight behind the proposal to trial pill testing at the forthcoming Canberra leg of regional touring festival Groovin The Moo.

The news comes after Groovin was given the green light by the hosting venue, The University of Canberra, to go ahead with the proposed trial which will allow festival attendees to go to a tent to have their pills scraped to discover their chemical composition.

They'll then recieve education and advice about any potential unknown dangers in the make-up of their pills.

As ABC reports, Palmer has written to Groovin The Moo promoters, encouraging them to make the pill testing trial a reality.

"I am delighted to see the progress being made towards improving the safety of attendees at the festivals and similar events through supporting drug pill testing in the ACT," wrote Palmer.

"I sincerely hope that as promoters you allow a trial to proceed."

The move to go ahead with the trial will be a crucial step to help educate young people about the drugs they're taking, noted Palmer, who was at the head of the AFP in the 1990s when then PM John Howard introduced his 'tough on drugs' policy.

He has since changed his viewpoint, and says that we have to "recognise that reality" of young people taking drugs for recreational purposes.

He also pointed to overseas pill testing trials at festivals and events that saw many people ditch their drugs when they found out exactly what was in them.

"Any step we can take towards improving the safety of people who use drugs and improving their knowledge of what it is they're intending to take, the better off we are."

He surmised; "There's so little to be lost or risk, if anything, by trying the process."

Matt Noffs, spokesperson for youth advocacy group the Ted Noffs Foundation, told the ABC he feared that the window might be closing on pill testing if the Groovin trial fails to occur.

"There's a lot at stake," he said. "The question we're all asking now is 'why are we waiting?'"