UK’s famous Secret Garden Party music festival has become the first festival in the UK to offer free drug testing for attendees. And the bonus being, they’ll let you take the rest of it with you instead of seizing it.Β
With the recent drug related deaths at T in the Park, Time Warp and Sunset Music Festival over the past few months, concerns have been raised whether drug testing should be offered to those attending the festivals. This would help the person identify what they have with them before it is too late.
Credits: secretgardenparty.com
A scheme with the coordination of the police at Secret Garden Party allows festival-goers to to have their drugs checked before consuming them. The sample is not handed back, but the rest of the drugs aren’t seized.Β Organizers have said that very high strength ecstasy pills were found as well as anti-malarial pills which were being pushed as MDMA and Ketamine.Β
A lot of festivals though, have been strictly against drug-testing kits and policies because according to a law passed by the US legislation called The Rave Act back in 2003, owners and promoters of festivals aren’t allowed to have drugs taken at their festival as it will be interpreted as a venue for drug use. No wonder the hostility shown by the owners.
Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation said “Around a quarter of the people attending came to us and asked us to dispose of their drugs as they found out they were duds and they were mis-sold. We are taking dangerous substances out of circulation.” He also said “For many young people ‘Just Say No’ doesn’t work, so ‘Just Say Know’ is vital to help protect them.”
Secret Garden Party isn’t the first festival to have started this policy. Other music festivals in Canada and the Netherlands have already adopted this policy. But by doing so, it will bring about change in the future events in UK.