Published in the Harm Reduction Journal, this paper describes the pathway that lead to Australia’s first pill testing/drug checking services in Canberra in 2018.

The paper takes each step of the model and illustrates the key activities that largely occurred over an approximately 24 month period. It demonstrates that leadership, advocacy and activism are key components, alongside evidence, to bringing about public policy change.

It provides a unique insight to the extensive efforts undertaken to achieving the first legally sanctioned pill testing at festivals in Australia and provides a positive case study for those seeking to introduce contested harm reduction services in the drug and alcohol field.

https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-023-00907-6

Photo credit: NOFFS