Smith Nick; Little AndrewHon Dr NICK SMITH (National): In speaking to Part 1 the first question I have for the Minister of Health and sponsor of the bill is that in the comments that he has just made and in the press release and all of the information that the public has is that the testing of these drugs—whether it be meth or ecstasy or whatever drug might be used—is going to be for music festivals. The problem I have in Part 1 is that there is no limit on where that drug testing were to occur. I can't find the word festival" I can't find the word "event" I can't find the word "concert" or any of those there. So the only interpretation I can reasonably take is that the drug-testing services that are proposed in this part could be applied anywhere—for instance I know in my home community one of the scourges not just in Nelson but up and down New Zealand is the issue of P meth use. And yes there will be those who argue that those who are buying and trading and use meth in communities all over New Zealand should—just as at a music concert or festival will have it tested to make sure that it doesn't have impurities or that it's pure meth or that it's what people are selling—that indeed this part would provide that you could have such a testing service at the street corner in the local area where gangs might be dealing with drugs or any old where.Now it is quite a—Dr Duncan Webb: What's the question?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Well my question that I put to the member opposite—and it would be helpful if he could do it—is: does the bill limit the testing to that of music festivals and concerts? Because all of the public dialogue has been that that's what the bill is about: making festivals and concerts safe. But that is not what the part says. The part makes no restriction to it being a particular event. It makes no restriction on it being for music festivals. So effectively Parliament is giving the authority for whether it be in Trafalgar Street Nelson or in Cashel Street in Christchurch or in Gore or in any other part of the country—Hon Member: Rathbone Street Whangārei.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: —for drug testing services to be able to—even in Epsom on Remuera Road—as I—David Seymour: That's not in Epsom. Hon Dr NICK SMITH: —read this bill Mr Seymour—maybe Mr Seymour knows; I know he's supporting the bill. Is it the intent that the drug-testing services would be limited to concerts and festivals or could they in fact be anywhere?David Seymour: Well the tester would have to be authorised by the Director-General of Health.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: So does Mr Seymour and the ACT Party apply the same philosophy that testing drugs at a concert or festival but equally so it could occur in the community and that actually if you believe in the philosophy behind this bill—and that is that you are going to make drug use safer in New Zealand for illegal substances like P or like ecstasy which is probably the most common drug that is intended behind this bill but it may well be cocaine or some other service—that it is not limited to simply a music festival or event? Actually the part provides the authorisation by Parliament for that testing to occur anywhere and that may well be the Government's intent that may well be what ACT is intending to support. But my question is: why should it? Do we really think we are going to make the use of drugs like P like cocaine like meth safer if we test it not just at music festivals and events but otherwise? And can they please if it intended to limit it to music festivals—why would your philosophy be different? We know that drug harm actually is biggest in our communities not at music festivals and if you were going to apply the logic that by testing these drugs you're going to make them safer at festivals then why would you not apply the same logic in our communities? And doesn't in fact Part 1 of this bill make no mention of music festivals no mention of concerts? In fact it is a regime that provides for the authorisation of illegal drugs drugs that this Parliament has determined are illegal and for all of those to be tested and actually for them to be tested anywhere and there's no restriction in this part of the bill that it should only be music festivals and such events.Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): Thank you Madam Chair. I understood that the question that the member has taken a considerable amount of time to ask is whether or not the bill on its face and in the language that it uses limits the place where testing might be carried out just to festivals and music festivals and the like. The answer to that is clearly no because there is no reference to festivals. But then the member might want to—look my invitation to members opposite is to get into the real world and understand the context of this.So we know that there are one or two outfits that do pill testing for the safety of consumers of them. One is KnowYourStuff and the other as I understand it is the New Zealand Drug Foundation—I stand to be corrected on that. They typically operate around festivals and events like that where young people gather. Their big risk that they face is the risk of prosecution when they are carrying out a service that is about trying to keep young people safe people who choose to use substances that are mind altering that can have an effect on the body but mixed with others could cause even greater harm and they want to keep them safe. We want to make sure that it is possible to have testing services available at events where young people gather and this is a way of doing that.Now the member will also know having studied the bill and seeing the media releases and what have you that this is time limited that this is self-repealing within 12 months. Because the other public announcements that have been made is that we do actually need to have a more considered examination of a law change that will do this on a permanent basis—I know members opposite have raised in the first and second reading speeches their concern about there being no select committee process and no examination—there will be a full parliamentary process when we come up with a long-term solution for this problem and members can dust off their old speech notes that they've been using tonight and run them all out again but there will be a select committee examination and all of that.So I just invite that member who's resumed his seat and other members to look at the context in which this is happening and know that in the practicality of the real world it will be limited in application because that is the only way in which these services will be carried out in the foreseeable period contemplated by the bill."