As Australian authorities prevent pill testing, the US is quietly telling festivalgoers all about their drugs

SNIFFER dogs routinely surround Australian festivalgoers looking for drugs but in parts of the US the cops are taking a new approach that some say saves lives.

Images supplied from Stereosonic 2015 Brisbane.

AT FIRST glance it’s like any other music festival.

Music fans, in neon coloured garb, mill about between the stages; tents dot the fields — many sporting flags so festivalgoers can work out which one is theirs — and security keep a discreet, but noticeable, profile.

But there’s something different about Backwoods, a three-day festival held every September in Oklahoma. It can be found in a small yellow booth discreetly placed in the midst of the festival site.

Festival goers can wander in, maybe pick up some ear plugs or slap on some free sunscreen. And while they’re there they can also get their drugs tested to check what they might be taking.

On their website, Backwoods insist they aren’t approving of drugs, merely facing up to the reality of music festivals. “It is inevitable some will choose to take illicit substances despite efforts to prevent it,” they say, “Since this cannot be ignored, Backwoods wants to ensure the health and safety of our attendees.”

It’s an approach that advocates of drug testing in Australia say they would be “very happy” to see introduced, following the death of five people in a little over a year at music festivals due to overdoses.

Greens NSW MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi said pill testing “makes complete sense” to reduce drug deaths.

But the call is falling on deaf ears with critics saying drugs are “inherently dangerous” and the aim should be for drug-free events altogether.

Volunteers with US group, DanceSafe, who attend music festivals. Picture: Facebook.

JUST SAY KNOW

It’s a view Missi Wooldridge, the executive director of San Francisco-based Dance Safe, who provide information and testing facilities at music festivals, does not agree with. “We’ve never had a drug-free society and it’s unrealistic to think that’s attainable,” she told news.com.au.

Like Australia, the US has had its fair share of tragic deaths at music festivals.

In 2013, 20-year-old Olivia Rotondo and 23-year-old Jeffrey Russ died following an overdose at Electric Zoo music in New York, leading to its enforced shut down.

Last August, two teenagers died at California’s HARD Summer festival and Backwoods has also been the site of tragedy. Patrick Murphy, 34, was attending the festival with his father, when he stopped breathing. An autopsy concluded his death was due to cocaine and methamphetamine toxicity.

The deaths made it even more critical that a focus was put on helping people at festivals, said Ms Wooldridge.

“Where are most people most likely to experiment with drugs? In social settings with their friends. Young people were and are at risk of medical emergencies and death because they’re consuming unknown substances with unknown dosages and potential lethal combinations.”

“Other programs often take shape in the form of abstinence-only or ‘just say no’. We like to say, ‘just say know”.

Chemical used to test drugs. Picture: supplied.

SEA CHANGE

Dance Safe works with multiple festivals with their booths stocked with all manner of healthy aids — from condoms to water and lots of information on drugs.

At a select few, they can also even test people’s stash.

“We never inform anyone that a substance is safe to consume,” Miss Wooldridge says. “We inform them of whether or not the test was positive. We ensure that they are aware that all drug use contains inherent risk. We will ask if they have any questions and depending on the results, we will go through important information about risk and protective factors and how to manage a difficult drug-related experience and tips for staying safe.”

At some festivals, they have also implemented an ‘early warning’ system to warn festivalgoers about potential dodgy drugs in circulation.

Senior legal adviser at the Drug Policy Alliance, Daniel Abrahamson, said the debate on the best way to tackle drugs in the US had been raging for years. But in the last five years there has been a “sea change” in thinking on the issue.

“More and more law enforcement have begun to question the wisdom of our crackdown efforts and ask whether there is a different way of doing things that can cause less harm to individuals, families and communities and improve the health and wellbeing, and reduce overdose deaths.”

One of DanceSafe’s festival booths.

MANSLAUGHTER

That’s not to say drug testing is now common, with strict laws on drug possession discouraging the activity. “But like so many areas of law in the US, the question is whether the law should be enforced in a manner that is counter-productive to both health and safety,” Mr Abrahamson said.

Policing in the US is often organised on a more local level than in Australia, leading to some police departments taking a more progressive approach to drugs.

“In many instances we work in collaboration with each other,” says Ms Wooldridge. “They will stay away from our booth so young people do not fear approaching us and will provide us with amnesty bins for safer disposal should someone choose to dispose of a substance after testing it.”

President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, Dr Alex Wodak, told news.com.au there was merit in the work of organisations like Dance Safe.

“If we had that kind of approach here as in some parts of the US for our pill testing trial we’d be very happy.”

Vice magazine did its own drug tests at an Australian festival earlier this year and found people’s drugs were not all they seemed and some contained ingredients of real concern including Ritalin masquerading as ketamine.

Advocates of drug testing, like Dr Wodak, are keen to set up a pill testing in Australia that is more sophisticated than the US model, which generally uses store bought testing kits.

“It’s the same idea, but the difference between a bicycle and motor car.”

But the government is not playing ball, even suggesting drug testers could be charged with manslaughter if someone died.

“It’s much more complicated when government is trying to stop you. If we had the support of any state or territory, 90 per cent of the difficulty of setting up the trial would vanish, “ he told news.com.au.

Sylvia Choi, 25, a Sydney pharmacist who died of a drug overdose after collapsing at the Stereosonic musi festival in Sydney.

DANGEROUS
Dr Faruqi has recently returned from the US where she said she was able to see and hear “first hand” about initiatives such as drug tests at festivals.

“Experiences from overseas show us that pill-testing is not a radical or novel idea. Other countries recognise that this policy makes complete sense from a harm reduction perspective.

“Pill-testing has nothing to do with encouraging drug use and everything to do with ensuring that people are safe from the dangers.”

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Police, Troy Grant, rejected the US model.

“This government does not support pill testing because these drugs are illegal and inherently dangerous,” he said.

“We are working on a strategy to reduce harm through the promotion of drug-free events with the appropriate police resources to enforce the law and medical staff on site.”

Dr Wodak scoffs at the minister’s protestations. “Let’s compare pill testing with a conventional approach and see which is safer, more effective and cheaper,” he said. “I think I know what the answer would be.”

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Originally published as As Australian authorities prevent pill testing, the US is quietly telling festivalgoers all about their drugs