Overview
- Overnight amendments to the Medicines and Poisons Act prohibit Queensland Health from granting or renewing authorities for drug checking and terminate existing permissions.
- The move also blocks a planned privately funded reopening of the Brisbane CheQpoint clinic after government warnings, following April closures when $1.5 million in funding was not renewed.
- A University of Queensland report released alongside the vote found pill testing delivered valuable harm reduction, with many clients changing behaviour and dangerous adulterants such as nitazenes identified.
- AMA Queensland and The Loop Australia warned the ban could increase overdose risk and sought urgent talks, while critics said the legislation was rushed through without committee scrutiny.
- Queensland recorded 310 unintentional drug deaths in 2023, higher than the road toll, and information about pill testing on the health department’s website was recently reduced on ministerial orders.