Music festivals are popular events for people to celebrate their favourite artists, and attract many young people as it gives them the opportunity to enjoy time with friends, explore the music-loving community and dance.
People will take drugs at music festivals to intensify their experience, keep partying or simply to experiment. Some common drugs that are taken at music festivals include; |
ALCOHOL [depp.] |
MDMA/ECSTASY [stim./hall.] |
Lowers inhibitions and helps people relax. In a music festival environment, alcohol can help people feel more comfortable when socialising, dancing and letting loose. Though the risks of alcohol can be overlooked because of its licit status and ubiquity in social settings, when it is consumed in high quantities, alcohol can have serious health consequences.
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A synthetic drug that can cause an increase in energy, enhanced sensory perception, emotional warmth and a distorted sense of time. Ecstasy has become very popular at music festivals, with users reporting they feel more connected with those around them. People can overheat and become dehydrated when using ecstasy, and when coming down from ecstasy, it is not uncommon to feel exhausted, anxious and unable to sleep.
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CANNABIS/MARIJUANA [depp.]A plant that can be smoked, vaped or infused into food. It can stimulate relaxation or euphoria but also cause paranoia and anxiety. Memory problems, altered sense of time and difficulty thinking or problem-solving are common effects of Marijuana, and if taken in larger doses, it can be very harmful to the user.
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COCAINE [stim.]and Crack Cocaine are stimulant drugs that create a feeling of extreme energy and happiness, hypersensitivity and sometimes paranoia. The energetic effects allow for hours of dancing, making cocaine a popular drug to take at music festivals. However, coming down from cocaine can result in several days of anxiety, depression and exhaustion. People that use cocaine regularly can have fits, kidney failure, poor mental function and sexual performance as well as an increased risk of contracting infectious diseases by sharing needles.
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[2] PEER EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
Another measure festival organisers have taken to encourage people not to take drugs at music festivals is the introduction of peer education programs like ‘DanceWize’ at music festivals. These programs provide chill-out spaces where attendees can access credible and accurate information on drug and alcohol-related harm through face-to-face discussion, support services and resources. These spaces are easily accessible and provide a calm, quiet, and comfortable space for attendees to relax, and would provide hydration and food to their patrons as well as enable people to bring their friends for assistance if required. Peer education about substance use and harm at music festivals is an effective way to reduce immediate harm and potentially discourage people from future substance use.
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Sniffer dogs have also been used at music festivals by the NSW Police Force to assist in the detection and enforcement of those carrying prohibited drugs. These dogs are trained to detect a range of prohibited drugs, although they will often approach people without any drugs on them. The Review of Police Powers (Drug Detection Dogs) Act 2001 in 2006 found that 74% of people approached by drug dogs had no drugs detected on them. Whether this is because the drug detection dogs are finding drugs in minuscule amounts or their residual odours, detecting prescription medicine or just making mistakes, music festival attendees are often subjected to an intrusive and humiliating public search with no result.
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