Eight young people have been placed in medically induced comas after suspected MDMA overdoses at a Melbourne music festival over the weekend, prompting calls for pill testing to be legalised in the state.
Paramedics at the Hardmission electronic music festival, held at Flemington racecourse on Saturday, transported nine festivalgoers to various hospitals across Melbourne.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed eight people were placed in comas with breathing tubes in their throats.
“These would have been some of the sickest patients our paramedics would deal with, short of going into cardiac arrest,” the Victorian Ambulance Union’s secretary, Danny Hill said.
“They were really, really sick. You had patients with high temperatures – some over 41 degrees and seizure activity. In order to be transported, [paramedics] have to do intervention that is normally left for patients suffering a head injury or a stroke.”
Hill said it was unusual to have a high number of people affected at one event.
“I don’t think we’ve seen it for some years, if ever,” he said.
Saturday’s temperatures reached 32C, but Hill said MDMA could also increase a person’s blood pressure and body temperature.
“They’re already in a dangerous situation and no doubt that was compounded by the environment,” he said.
Hill said Ambulance Victoria were short-staffed for Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (Mica) paramedics on Saturday and had to send out text messages to get off-duty staff to assist.
The patients were transported to the Sunshine, Royal Melbourne, Austin, Footscray and St Vincent’s hospitals.
A spokesperson for the Royal Melbourne hospital said two patients remained in a critical condition. Guardian Australia has contacted the other hospitals.
Hill said he hoped Saturday’s event would prompt a rethink of pill-testing in Victoria.
“These drugs are not made in batches of seven or eight tablets,” Hill said. “They’re made in batches of hundreds or thousands so there are many more of these deadly tablets out there.
“And there are many more of these raves throughout the summer season. It can only help to bring in pill-testing and try to intercept the drug-use as close as you can to the person using the drug.”
Assoc Prof David Caldicott, the clinical lead at Pill Testing Australia, told the ABC on Monday that the organisation had offered to operate a free pilot program to any jurisdiction.
“We’ve learned a lot about the way we’ve done things in the ACT and we’d love to share that,” he said.
Victorian government frontbencher Steve Dimopoulos on Monday said the government had no plans to introduce pill-testing.
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“That’s not all there is to this space. We do a bunch of other work in relation to harm minimisation including DanceWize that was actually at the event,” he told reporters.
He said it was important not to jump to conclusions about the incident, as the state’s poisons information centre was investigating what occurred.
Dimopoulos said the government would be driven by the science regarding pill-testing.
“We’re always open to having a look at innovative approaches that might assist the welfare and health of Victorians,” he said.
In a joint statement the Greens, Legalise Cannabis and the Animal Justice parties renewed calls for the government to establish pill testing across the state.
The ACT introduced drug-testing services in 2022 and the Queensland government announced a pill-testing trial last February.
The Victorian state coroner, John Cain, in September called for the government to introduce drug-testing to reduce preventable drug overdose deaths.
The festival’s organiser has been contacted for comment.
A Victoria police spokesperson said it was investigating reports a number of people were taken to hospital “seriously unwell” .
“Police were not aware of any critical health incidents during the event, however are now making inquiries and an investigation has commenced,” the spokesperson said.
In Australia, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline is at 1800 250 015; families and friends can seek help at Family Drug Support Australia at 1300 368 186. In the UK, Action on Addiction is available on 0300 330 0659. In the US, call or text SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 988
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This article and headline wer amended on 8 January 2024 after Ambulance Victoria clarified that eight people were in induced comas, not seven.
