Overview

• Parliament passed late Thursday amendments to the Medicines and Poisons Act that ban pill testing statewide and prohibit the Queensland Health director-general from granting or renewing substance authorities.
• Existing authorities are discontinued, making any service illegal and preventing The Loop’s privately funded Bowen Hills site from reopening after April’s $1.5 million funding cut shuttered CheQpoint locations.
• Health Minister Tim Nicholls reaffirmed a zero‑tolerance stance, saying there is no safe way to take drugs and that drug checking sends the wrong message.
• Medical groups including AMA Queensland and service operators warned the ban could increase overdoses and emergency presentations, and the opposition called for a parliamentary inquiry into drug checking.
• A University of Queensland report released during the vote found drug checking delivered harm reduction, prompted many clients to reduce or discard drugs, and identified dangerous adulterants such as nitazenes, while ACT, Victoria and NSW continue trials or services.