Enlighten Harm Reduction is a lobbyist organisation, based in Melbourne, Australia.
We began as a volunteer activist group in late 1999 and have since become one of the leading voices for change in Australian drug policy. Our aim is to promote harm reduction, specifically techniques concerning the drug MDMA or ‘ecstasy’.
The central part of our strategy is the promotion of pill testing, using both chemical reagents and portable laboratory systems. Other Australian harm reduction and user groups, such as Ravesafe, have offered basic education and support to ‘ecstasy’ users in the dance music scene, but until now none have been prepared to also offer an adulterant screening service where users can have their pills tested and be advised on the possible contents of their pill.
Although this idea is controversial within Australia, many European countries have long running and successful programmes. Pill testing has been endorsed and supported in Holland since 1992, with DIMS having tested over 30,000 pills. It is tolerated, with legislation in Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, Spain, and Germany and tolerated with legislation pending in Czechoslovakia and Belgium. Even France has a system (TRENDS/SITES).
Pill testing is an essential element of harm reduction. Harm reduction is a central tenet of the National Illicit Drug Strategy. Unfortunately under the current Federal Government the other elements, supply reduction and demand reduction, dominate both the funding (over 90%) and the public profile of the debate.
The previous Federal Government’s “Tough on Drugs” strategy has, in the opinion of many working in this area, not only reversed a long Australian tradition of effective and innovative harm reduction, but is actually causing damage to the health and well being of our community.
It yet remains to be seen if the change of Federal Government will bring any real change of policy.