House of Assembly Speaker Sue Hickey wants the Liberal Party to offer members a conscience vote on a pill testing trial in Tasmania.
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The call comes after Dark Mofo organisers have promised to pressure the government to allow for pill testing to be trialed at this year's three-week winter festival.
But the government has poured cold water on the idea with Police Minister Michael Ferguson saying the government would not support testing in any form.
"The government will not introduce any amnesty or special arrangements for those caught with illegal drugs at Dark Mofo or any other event," he said.
Pill Testing Australia met with three state festival organisers in Hobart on Monday to discuss the potential for a trial in Tasmania.
President Gino Vumbaca said based on an ACT trial, patrons were generally appreciative of having drugs tested to obtain factual and credible information on the substances they intended to take.
"Pill testing is a health and medical service first and foremost," he said.
"We find there is a level of misunderstanding of what we do, not so much from festivals, but governments and the community."
The organisation provides chemists and counsellors at festivals who test chemicals, gauge a person's level of intoxication, inform them of adverse reactions, and where to get help if needed.
Dark Mofo organiser Leigh Carmichael said a trial should be given a chance.
"We feel obligated to do anything we can to reduce harm, and if there's anything we lose sleep over, it is this issue," he said.
Legislation is not needed for a trial but government support is required.
Ms Hickey said the government needed to put "health before politics".
"If we save just one person from a fatal dose doesn't that support the trial?" she said.
"We must face facts that illegal drugs are on the rise as are deaths from the young people taking them."
Ms Hickey said she had been contacted by doctors and lawyers who supported pill testing.
Labor leader Rebecca White said she was yet to be convinced on the merits of a trial.
"The challenges we have is understanding what it would take to work in practice," she said.
Greens justice spokesperson Rosalie Woodruff said festivals wanted pill testing to try to keep patrons safe.
"More people choose not to take drugs after that drug analysis," she said.
Police Minister Michael Ferguson said the government would not support any form of pill testing.
"There is no safe use of any illicit drug and it's reckless to suggest otherwise," he said.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Council chief executive Allison Lai said pill testing was a harm reduction strategy which had been proven to be highly effective internationally and in the ACT.
"We don't believe that a zero-tolerance approach can be the only approach when we are talking about drug use in Tasmania," she said.
"Pill testing is not about condoning drug use; pill testing is not about quality testing for suppliers of drugs."