At 9.52pm on the Friday before the Sunday trial, chief health officer Dr Paul Kelly wrote to ACT Health’s media director Tracey Pulli, discussing communications plans for the festival.

Dr Kelly said the plan b statement, which dealt with a generic tragic incident during the trial, needed to include a “positive statement” and should not include specific drug names.

“On the statements. Option 1 reads well. For option 2, if we need to use this I suggest including a positive statement about number of people who used the service with a number discarding their drugs on the basis of testing.

“I also suggest removing specific drug names.”

Attached to the email was an “option 2” media release, which addressed a tragic incident, presumably an overdose, as well as an “option 1” release in the event the trial was a success.

“The incident at the Groovin the Moo festival on Sunday was a tragedy and underscores the risks associated with illicit drug use,” the option 2 release read.

ACT government meeting minutes from 2017 showed government officials had also discussed a media strategy in the case of a death during pill testing trials in the territory.

“It is suggested that there be media silence up until the music festival, with the government maintaining its position of ‘we are considering the options’,” meeting minutes read.

“In the event of a death by illicit drug use, media silence will be maintained by all parties whilst the matter is dealt with by the coroner’s office.”

Last year a working group including police, health officials and members of the Harm Reduction Australia consortium established any pill testing services would not be actively promoted at the festival.

“It was clarified it consortium does not intend to publicly promote the presence of a drug checking / harm reduction service prior to the festival," meeting minutes from last June read.

“It is anticipated that patrons of the event will use social media themselves once they realise the service is available."

If a bad batch was detected, the group discussed using the festival's big screen to broadcast a warning to festival goers.

The pill testing trial took place on Sunday, April 30, at the Groovin’ the Moo festival in Canberra.

Internal emails showed uncertainty within the health directorate as the festival date loomed, and just how late the last-minute decision to allow pill testing was left.

“Just touching base regarding pill testing. Have you been given the ‘go ahead’?” one health official wrote on the morning of Thursday, April 26.

“Sadly not. It could still definitely go either way I’m really sorry,” another official replied.

“You’ll know as soon as I do, but I don’t suppose that’s helpful when there’s only today and tomorrow left!”

Emails from the festival’s promoter also shed light on how stringently media was managed during negotiations for the trial.

An email on February 26, 2018, showed promoter Cattleyard threatened to pull out of the trial if the ACT government shared any information without their consent.

“In the event this statement is shared with any third parties or the media without the express written permission of Cattleyard Promotions, Cattleyard Promotions will cease any conversations around this pill testing trial,” a Cattleyard employee wrote.

Meeting minutes showed the working group saw the trial as a "PR opportunity for government -highlighting provision of harm minimisation services as part of a counselling process".

There were 128 participants in the pill testing trial, which was widely lauded as Australia’s first.

Eighty-five samples were tested by the STA-Safe Consortium, two of which were potentially deadly.

An ACT Health spokesman said the government would consider future options for pill testing at events.