UK music festivals: 'Drug checking could have saved Georgia'

[Skip997]

Probably a controversial topic.

Apologies if this offends anyone, but I think it's important.

I've made the point before that IMO front of house drug testing facilities should be mandatory at UK festivals.

Quote

An 18-year-old who died after taking high-strength MDMA at a festival might be alive if on-site drugs tests had been at the event, her mum says.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-63599505

[jannybruck]

Ultimately most festivals don't want to admit that a huge proportion of people take drugs at their event, because it'll immediately call into question their licensing applications. Even having drug testing on site is a tacit admission.

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, jannybruck said:

Ultimately most festivals don't want to admit that a huge proportion of people take drugs at their event, because it'll immediately call into question their licensing applications. Even having drug testing on site is a tacit admission.

But could access to drug testing encourage people to take more drugs? Not according to the study's findings.

"Only about 1% said they'd take more, 48% said they'd take less - so I think we can say with some confidence that people don't take more after using the service, and in fact most people actually take less," Fiona adds.

[a6l6e6x]

I think it should be at every festival and find it strange that it wasn’t at glasto 22

Obviously people will take pills, powder, everything at this festival

if tested mdma can be a perfectly safe drug/definitely no more damaging than alcohol. It’s a wider issue that it should just be legalised, made in a controlled environment and the money from it should go towards taxes instead of funding criminal organisations. The same can be said about a majority of illegal drugs in this country

[gigpusher]

I don't take drugs and never have but still believe there should be testing available. If people are going to take drugs I would rather they were safer doing it. 

It shouldn't be a controversial position at all. 

[Skip997]

Just now, a6l6e6x said:

I think it should be at every festival and find it strange that it wasn’t at glasto 22

Obviously people will take pills, powder, everything at this festival

if tested mdma can be a perfectly safe drug/definitely no more damaging than alcohol. It’s a wider issue that it should just be legalised, made in a controlled environment and the money from it should go towards taxes instead of funding criminal organisations. The same can be said about a majority of illegal drugs in this country

The best of my knowledge Glastonbury has drug testing facilities available, just not available to the punters/crew.

One hopes that in the case of a bad batch of drugs being found this would be announced to the public.

I've witnessed this happening one year at Shambala when all the crew were sent a text about a problem "legal high" on site.

[moogster]

It's a bit like saying teaching abstinence is the best way forward to prevent teenage pregnancies... 

[jannybruck]

2 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

But could access to drug testing encourage people to take more drugs? Not according to the study's findings.

"Only about 1% said they'd take more, 48% said they'd take less - so I think we can say with some confidence that people don't take more after using the service, and in fact most people actually take less," Fiona adds.

Sure, but we live in a country where local councils are filled with people who don't (or wilfully won't) understand this and are constantly under pressure from local NIMBYs who probably don't want a festival near them anyway.

Glastonbury absolutely should have it given the size, and I'm surprised there's not more bad drug related things happening every year. Particularly given the demographic shift recently.

[gigpusher]

3 minutes ago, moogster said:

It's a bit like saying teaching abstinence is the best way forward to prevent teenage pregnancies... 

Exactly what I was going to say. Pretending people don't do something doesn't stop them doing it. 

[cdm22]

I wouldn't have thought many 18 years olds would get their drugs tested at a festival even if it was possible to do so. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have done at the time.

[t0paz]

The only people our drug laws help are drug dealers who make an absolute fortune selling them. There should 100% be testing available.

Sadly, nothing sensible will change on this while we have a Tory govt and the right wing press are so powerful. 

[Bike_Like_A_Mum]

15 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

I don't take drugs and never have but still believe there should be testing available. If people are going to take drugs I would rather they were safer doing it. 

It shouldn't be a controversial position at all. 

One hundred percent agree 💯 

[Skip997]

2 minutes ago, cdm22 said:

I wouldn't have thought many 18 years olds would get their drugs tested at a festival even if it was possible to do so. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have done at the time.

From the article i linked

"We found people wanted to use the service, they queued up to use it in all weathers, and they were willing to do that for several hours."

The few youngsters I've spoken to at festivals about drugs are well up for education around the subject and would be very willing ot have their drugs tested.

[gigpusher]

5 minutes ago, cdm22 said:

I wouldn't have thought many 18 years olds would get their drugs tested at a festival even if it was possible to do so. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have done at the time.

Yep that would be my only concern even if available people would be scared to do it for fear of police watching etc being targeted outside the festival but safe testing should be something we should aim for. 

[DeanoL]

6 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

From the article i linked

"We found people wanted to use the service, they queued up to use it in all weathers, and they were willing to do that for several hours."

The few youngsters I've spoken to at festivals about drugs are well up for education around the subject and would be very willing ot have their drugs tested.

There's "willing" then there's finding time at a festival to actually do it.

Like, the past few Glastonburys, I've been "willing" to go have a shower at some point, we've sort of said "see how the day goes, if we get a quiet hour and nothing takes our fancy, we can go clean up a bit". Never happened. It's Glastonbury. There's always something to be doing.

[Skip997]

7 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

Yep that would be my only concern even if available people would be scared to do it for fear of police watching etc being targeted outside the festival but safe testing should be something we should aim for. 

The police really aren't interested in catching a few punters with a personal stash.

They're after the dealers.

[Skip997]

2 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

There's "willing" then there's finding time at a festival to actually do it.

Like, the past few Glastonburys, I've been "willing" to go have a shower at some point, we've sort of said "see how the day goes, if we get a quiet hour and nothing takes our fancy, we can go clean up a bit". Never happened. It's Glastonbury. There's always something to be doing.

Wednesday, there's nothing happening.

[t0paz]

4 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The police really aren't interested in catching a few punters with a personal stash.

They're after the dealers.

https://mixmag.net/read/police-to-target-party-drug-users-in-effort-to-prevent-the-normalisation-of-illegal-substance-use-news
Sounds like they plan to do the opposite over autumn and winter.

[Skip997]

6 minutes ago, t0paz said:

https://mixmag.net/read/police-to-target-party-drug-users-in-effort-to-prevent-the-normalisation-of-illegal-substance-use-news
Sounds like they plan to do the opposite over autumn and winter.

Idiots

This is not the way to deal with things.

[gigpusher]

22 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The police really aren't interested in catching a few punters with a personal stash.

They're after the dealers.

That may well be true but you have to reassure people with the drugs that it is true. If you are normally an accountant or a school teacher and don't normally or often do this kind of thing (and those sort of people are probably the ones who need these services most) then you are probably a bit more paranoid about losing your job because of something that happens at a festival than a more habitual drug user. 

[gfa]

1 hour ago, jannybruck said:

Sure, but we live in a country where local councils are filled with people who don't (or wilfully won't) understand this and are constantly under pressure from local NIMBYs who probably don't want a festival near them anyway.

Glastonbury absolutely should have it given the size, and I'm surprised there's not more bad drug related things happening every year. Particularly given the demographic shift recently.

The complexity of getting tickets mean its next to no young people's first festival. 99% of people going that uses is a seasoned user

[gfa]

1 hour ago, t0paz said:

https://mixmag.net/read/police-to-target-party-drug-users-in-effort-to-prevent-the-normalisation-of-illegal-substance-use-news
Sounds like they plan to do the opposite over autumn and winter.

"Operation Scorpion will involve "significant drug operations" from forces across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset, Cornwall and Devon, and Dorset, according to The Times."

Only in the south west and this doesn't even include bristol. Its not like this is hitting anywhere with a proper nightlife

edit: also interesting to note love saves the day are mentioned - team love are no doing Silver Hayes so this could be a step towards testing if deemed a success at Love Saves the Day

Edited November 14, 2022 by gfa

[t0paz]

8 minutes ago, gfa said:

this doesn't even include bristol.

Bristol falls under Avon and Somerset from a policing point of view.

The impact of this remains to be seen, but goes to show how woefully out of touch some people in power are.

[gfa]

7 minutes ago, t0paz said:

Bristol falls under Avon and Somerset from a policing point of view.

The impact of this remains to be seen, but goes to show how woefully out of touch some people in power are.

Ah right I thought it was its own county. no doubt will amount to nothing anyway

[Skip997]

7 minutes ago, t0paz said:

Bristol falls under Avon and Somerset from a policing point of view.

The impact of this remains to be seen, but goes to show how woefully out of touch some people in power are.

Or how hypocritical, plenty of them use drugs, esp cocaine.

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A street kid gets arrested Gonna do some time He got out three years from now Just to commit more crime A businessman is caught With 24 kilos He's out on bail and out of jail And that's the way it goes