The lack of pill testing at this weekend's Spilt Milk festival is a "real missed opportunity" according to ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury who wants to see the political barriers to pill testing removed.
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He repeated calls for a permanent pill testing site in Canberra which was rejected by government.
Spilt Milk is held at Commonwealth Park which is controlled by the federal government and pill testing would need to first be approved by the National Capital Authority.
A spokeswoman for the NCA said no applications had been made to host pill testing at this year's festival and that the federal government remained opposed to pill testing.
"As a Commonwealth government agency the position of the NCA remains unchanged from 2018," she said.
"The Australian government does not support decisions to use illicit drugs, and does not support pill testing, as it could imply that illicit drugs are safe.
"There is no legal framework currently in place and the Commonwealth will not facilitate measures to enable pill testing to take place on Commonwealth land."
The ACT government collaborated with Pill Testing Australia to host two trials at Groovin' the Moo in April and in 2018.
Mr Rattenbury, an ardent advocate for pill testing, said he was disappointed pill testing was not being conducted more broadly.
"It's frustrating the Commonwealth won't partner with us to deliver [pill testing at festivals] because they offer real positive outcomes in terms of providing safety for young people," Mr Rattenbury said.
"It's a real missed opportunity not to have pill testing at Spilt Milk this weekend.
"It's an opportunity to both detect dangerous drugs at the site but also have that conversation about the risks behind taking these drugs."
Mr Rattenbury repeated a call for a static site, perhaps located in the city, that could provide long term harm minimisation and education in an environment other than at music festivals.
"We know that people take pills at things other than just festivals. It's happening on weekends, it's happening at various parties around town and we'd like to see a static permanent site here in the territory that operates maybe a couple of nights a week," he said.
However, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith declared the territory was not considering a permanent site.
"There are a range of operational, logistical and potentially legislative issues that would need to be considered for a static pill testing site," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
But she confirmed the ACT government remained firmly committed to a harm minimisation approach regarding drug use, while repeating the message the safest option was to not use illicit drugs.
"However, we also believe governments have a responsibility to not only try and prevent drug use but also to support initiatives that reduce the harms associated with drug use," she said.
"This is why we have provided a supportive policy environment for pill testing trials to take place in the ACT."
The ANU is conducting an independent evaluation of this year's pill testing trial which the government expects to be delivered by the end of the year.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the ACT government would use this report to inform the debate nationally and would consider further trials based on its findings.
State and territory health ministers and officials were invited to inspect the previous trial and this invitation would be repeated for any future trials, she said.
The NSW deputy coroner called for pill testing at music festivals following the deaths of six young people, however the Berejiklian government has resoundingly rejected the finding.
