Drug overdoses mar Australian music festival

Australian authorities are staggered by increasing drug overdoses at a popular music festival despite repeated warnings following the deaths to two people, local media reported on Monday.

Twenty Australians were rushed to hospital on drug overdoses while authorities arrested and charged 139 people, mostly on drug offenses, at the weekend's Stereosonic music festival in Brisbane.

Festival organizers implemented tighter measures at the weekend's event, including increasing the number of paramedics and police surveillance following the deaths of a 25-year-old woman at the Sydney leg last week and a 19-year-old man at the Adelaide festival on Saturday.

"We cannot express our concerns highly enough regarding the dangers of drug use," Stereosonic said in a social media post ahead of the festival.

"We have tragically lost two lives to drugs during our festival and whilst every effort has been made to protect you and keep you safe with our teams of professional medical and security staff ...you as individuals need to make smart choices and understand the risks you are taking.

"Do not gamble with your life today."

Two other festival goers at the Adelaide event, a man, 20, and a woman, 21, remain in a critical but stable condition in hospital following similar drug overdose.

Australian medical authorities have labelled this year the "most dangerous season" the nation has faced with new drugs appearing on the market, with some experts calling for pill testing at music festivals in light of the Stereosonic deaths.

"There is a diversity of products on the market that not even drug nerds like myself know about," emergency physician and drug expert Dr David Caldicott told Australia's national broadcaster.

Caldicott said the age old message of "don't do drugs" is acceptable for those who aren't already engaged in the practice, however for those already involved in the scene, authorities approach to illicit drugs must be "far more nuanced."

Medical experts, including Caldicott, are calling for a similar mechanism seen in Zurich to be implemented in Australia where revellers can take their product to be forensically tested at the point of consumption.

"Then in the 20 to 30 minutes they're waiting for a result, engage with the consumer, let them know what's going on ... and also look at their habits and how they can stay safer," Caldicott said. Enditem