School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Drug Alcohol Rev. 2021 May;40(4):521-529. doi: 10.1111/dar.13211. Epub 2020 Nov 22.
Following several deaths due to drug overdoses at music festivals in Australia, pill testing (or drug checking) has been proposed as a means of reducing the risk to young people. However, pill testing is a politically controversial policy in Australia. This paper examines the political dimension to the debate, its relationship with other social issues and how it divides party supporters.
The data come from the 2019 Australian Election Study survey-a large (n = 2179), nationally weighted representative probability survey conducted immediately after the federal election. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are used to identify the social groups, attitudes and vote preferences most associated with public views about pill testing.
Almost two-thirds of the public support pill testing at music festivals. The young and those who do not attend church are most likely to express support. Supporters of other liberal social opinions, such as the legalisation of marijuana, are also strongly supportive of pill testing. Those who vote for one of the two main conservative parties are less likely to support pill testing.
While a majority of the public support pill testing, beyond the Australian Capital Territory this has not translated into policy in other jurisdictions. The results show that there is a high level of political polarisation surrounding opinions among both voters and political elites. This issue must be addressed if the policy is to be advanced as part of an overall harm reduction approach to drug use.
在澳大利亚的音乐节上发生了几起因药物过量导致的死亡事件后，人们提出了药物检测（或毒品检测）作为降低年轻人风险的一种手段。然而，药物检测在澳大利亚是一项具有政治争议的政策。本文考察了该辩论的政治层面、它与其他社会问题的关系以及它如何分裂党派支持者。
数据来自 2019 年澳大利亚选举研究调查——一项在联邦选举后立即进行的大型（n=2179）、全国加权代表性概率调查。使用双变量和多变量分析来确定与公众对药物检测看法最相关的社会群体、态度和投票偏好。
近三分之二的公众支持音乐节上的药物检测。年轻人和不参加教堂的人最有可能表示支持。其他自由社会观点的支持者，如大麻合法化，也强烈支持药物检测。那些投票给两个主要保守党派之一的人不太可能支持药物检测。
尽管大多数公众支持药物检测，但在澳大利亚首都领地之外，其他司法管辖区并没有将其转化为政策。结果表明，选民和政治精英之间对这一问题存在高度的政治两极化。如果该政策要作为毒品使用的全面减少伤害方法的一部分得到推进，就必须解决这个问题。
