The death of a man at the Dreamstate music event at Sydney Olympic Park recently is tragic. One life lost, others hospitalised after consuming what they thought was just MDMA.

What we already know is that illicit drug markets are increasingly unpredictable. Substances are stronger, more variable, and more likely to contain unexpected or dangerous additives. People are not choosing this risk, the risk is imposed by prohibition.

Pill testing exists for one simple reason: to reduce harm.

NSW’s current drug checking trial has shown how this can work in practice. When people are given accurate information about what they are about to take, behaviour changes. International and local evidence consistently shows that between 10–20% of people discard substances after testing, and many others reduce dosage or avoid mixing drugs. Information saves lives.

Yet despite this evidence, the NSW trial is due to end soon.

That would be a mistake.

Temporary trials are not enough when drug use is ongoing and drug markets are becoming more dangerous. Pill testing needs to be made permanent in NSW, and a fixed site drug checking service must be established so people can access testing and health advice outside festival settings.

This approach is neither new nor extreme. The ACT already operates a permanent drug checking service, and Victoria has committed to fixed site testing as part of its harm reduction framework. These services have identified synthetic opioids, counterfeit pharmaceuticals and high-risk substances that would otherwise have caused serious harm.

Prohibition has never eliminated drug use. What it has done is remove safeguards, reduce access to health information and increase risk. If the goal is to protect people from harm, then evidence based solutions must replace fear based policy.

Every preventable death is one too many.