Perth: We Tested Your MDMA

This article is part of the VICE MDMA Census. See the results for cities all around Australia here. For a glossary of the different chemicals we identified, read this.

In Perth, it's reasonably easy to get pills or caps in a nightclub, festival, or house party. But it's an isolated city, so I was interested to see where the supply was coming from—and if it was any good.

Most people were cooperative and keen to find out the contents of their drugs. Many even asked where they could buy the testing kits I was using. A lot of the people I interviewed had very strong opinions on drug testing being made legal at festivals and around Australia.

Sean's sample.

VICE: What do you think this is? 
Sean: MDMA.

Okay, what did the test say it is?
Yep, ecstasy, which I saame means it's MDMA.

Do you usually know what you are getting before you take it?
Yeah, I always know what I'm getting, unless I'm out in a club or at a festival and I want more, then I will usually get it off a random and not be too fussed on what it is.

Where do you get your drugs from?
A close friend.

Do you ever worry about what is in them?
Occasionally. I usually have a steady supply so don't get too concerned, but when you don't know someone and you get it off them, it can be a bit risky.

Do you think they should make pill testing legal in Australia?
Yes, because it gives everyone some peace of mind and takes away the danger aspect. If you can't check it, you don't know what you're getting. People would be more relaxed if they knew. At the moment, people are going to take drugs if they are illegal or not. It's being treated as a crime issue when in reality it is a health issue.

Do you think people should test their drugs before they take them?
Yes, if they don't know, they should.

VICE: What do you think you've got?
Tim: MDMA.

What is it actually?
DXM.

Usually, would you know what you're taking before you take it?
Yes, you always ask. I always get mine from a close friend.

Do you ever worry about what is in them?
No.

Do you think they should make pill testing legal in Australia?
Yes, so you can find out what you're having.

VICE: What do you think is in these?
Ecstasy.

So what did it turn out to be? 
Amphetamine.

Do you think you usually know what you are getting before you take it?
I hope so, it's supposed to be pure MDMA caps.

Some people are pushing for pill testing to be legalised in Australia. Do you think people should be able to test their drugs, say, at a festival?
Not really, it will just condone the illegal activity. Drugs are unsafe regardless and it's risky behaviour.

Do you think people should test their drugs before they take them?
No, there's no point testing them because it's bad for your body regardless.

What do you reckon you've got here?
Ecstasy.

What is it?
Ecstasy/DXM.

Do you usually know what you are getting before you take it?
You usually have a fair idea about what kind of drug you're taking based on its appearance, however you can't confirm what you're taking.

Where do you get your drugs?
Good friends.

Do you ever worry about what is in them?
Sometimes it's a little concerning when you hear negative stories attributed to party drugs. As I get older it becomes more worrying, however at the time it's not something I give too much thought to.

Do you think they should make pill testing labs legal in Australia? 
I think it should be legal. There's no harm and they could prevent someone unintentionally hurting themselves or give people more of an idea about what they are consuming.

Do you think people should test their drugs before they take them?
People probably should test their drugs. These are illicit substances that are not regulated. However that requires a lot of effort and education, I wouldn't know where to begin.

What do you think you've got?
Ecstasy.

What does the test say it is?
Amphetamine.

Do you usually know what you are getting before you take it?
No, I don't normally know what I am getting or what is in it before I take it but considering I'm normally taking the same drug with a bunch of people, that thought never crosses my mind because multiple people are doing the exact same drug as me.

Where do you get your drugs?
I get my drugs from a very close friend and have been the last couple of years and I have never had a bad experience from it. The couple of times I have bought drugs from others, they were very cheap and although my friends and I had a good time on them, most of us were vomiting and became very dehydrated. This has happened at multiple festivals or nights out when we want to buy a lot so we look for someone who is selling them cheaper.

Do you ever worry about what is in them?
The only time I have ever worried about what is in them is when I have bought them for cheaper and I start vomiting on them, I feel my body has a different reaction to them compared to if I had pure MDMA. Me and my friends call these "smackie" pills because they make us dehydrated, we lose the colour in our face, dark rings form around our eyes and we would continuously be vomiting for hours as well as sweating and are unable to pee, even though we have drunk litres of water and should be needing to pee. Because we have been taking "pingas" for a while though, we are good at looking out for each other and are aware of what is happening to our body and if we continue to get more sick, we wouldn't be afraid to take someone to hospital or call for help.

Do you think they should make pill testing legal in Australia?
One hundred percent. I think they should make them legal. I know my friends and I wouldn't hesitate to get our pills tested, especially if we have bought them cheaply.

So you think people should test their drugs before they take them?
Yes, I think people should get their drugs tested.

What do you think it is?
MDMA.

What is it?
DXM.

Do you usually know what you are getting before you take it?
No.

Where do you get your drugs?
Mostly friends.

Do you ever worry about what is in them?
I tend to think about it and it's quite often for the same kind of pill to circulate for a couple of months so you would at least know someone who has tried it.

What do you reckon about the push to legalise pill testing in Australia—should it happen?
No, because you the risk of being caught. A lot of young people are scared to get them tested because they think they are going to get in trouble. The fear of being caught overrules the risk of taking a harmful drug. Theoretically put it like this: what are you going to do? Line up at a festival to get your drugs tested and get done for having drugs while you're in the line? If I was a narc and wanted to pin someone for having drugs, I'd go straight to the testing line. Simple.

Do you think people should test their drugs before they take them?
It's up to the individual, but personally I don't think that testing drugs will save a life. They are not going to be able to determine whether it will harm or kill you or not. Only outcome is people will know what you had before you died.

Disclaimer: We aren't scientists. We ran a handful of tests, in a handful of cities, over the course of a few nights. These kits aren't going to identify the presence of some non-testable poison. Plus, there's no guarantee you have the same MD—drugs differ from place to place, night to night. But you already knew that.

Note: These articles were made possible by EZ Test who donated all testing kits free of charge.