RAVE PARTY TEAM DEFIES DRUG TEST BAN

Organisers of South Australia's largest rave party have vowed to
continue to offer testing of drugs at the event.

The organisers of this weekend's Summer Enchanted rave party today
criticised the state government for not allowing pill testing, saying
it did not care about the health of young people.

The drug testing is to allow customers to check what they are
buying.

Melbourne-based drug research group Enlighten Harm Reduction has
withdrawn its pill testing service from the dance party after the
state government refused permission for it to operate.

Under SA's Controlled Substances Act, the government must issue a
permit to legally allow drug testing for the purpose of research.

Enlighten said it had been threatened with arrest if it pressed ahead
with testing.

Rave organisers Enchanted Crew said while no official pill testing
would occur, partygoers could still obtain kits to conduct their own
tests in unsupervised environments.

"Our opinion is that to stop pill testing is far more dangerous than
to allow it," Enchanted Crew said in a statement.

"There will be people testing their own pills but as no official pill
testing is allowed there will be no data.

"Not only is this a health risk for the people at the event but it
deprives the experts of valuable information about drugs.

"The message from the government of South Australia is that they don't
care about the health of young people.

"It won't allow research from credible organisations. It won't allow
serious harm minimisation."

Summer Enchanted, to be held at an undisclosed location in Adelaide's
northern suburbs, is expected to draw up to 8,000 people.

At the Winter Enchanted rave party in July, 50 tablets were illegally
screened, with at least one girl discarding her pill after tests
showed it contained ketamine.