Summer music festivals have long been venues where attendees often engage in the use of psychedelics and other drugs.
A research team is currently examining the implementation of harm reduction practices at these events and the valuable insights that can be gained from them.
Leading the research is Erika Dyck, a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a Canada Research Chair in the history of health and social justice, who has dedicated the past twenty years to studying psychedelics.
According to Dyck, music festivals, being common settings for the consumption of these substances, often serve as grounds for the application of harm reduction strategies, emphasizing the importance of caring for one another and minimizing risks.
Kenneth Tupper, an adjunct professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, is part of the research team investigating this subject.
He noted that drug checking initiatives initially took root in Canada within the context of music festivals.
“This approach gained momentum in Canada as part of the response to the toxic drug crisis around 2016, coinciding with the declaration of a public health emergency in British Columbia,” Tupper explained.
The British Columbia Centre on Substance Use introduced a new tool, an FTIR spectrometer, for drug testing purposes around 2017. Its portability made it ideal for deployment at festivals like Shambhala and Bass Coast, among others, he added.
The inaugural edition of the Regina Exchange Folk Festival took place recently, with artistic director Zandra Kaszas emphasizing the significance of harm reduction and safety measures in event planning.
Alongside standard safety protocols such as security personnel, hydration stations, and on-site medical assistance, the Nēwo Yōtina Friendship Centre (NYFC) set up a naloxone station at the festival to address potential overdoses.
Tupper highlighted that drug testing services offer individuals a sense of certainty prior to making decisions regarding drug consumption. Providing counseling to help individuals navigate their experiences can also be life-saving, he pointed out.
“I’ve had the opportunity to support individuals through challenging experiences and guide them to a better place than they might have reached on their own. It has been incredibly fulfilling work,” Tupper shared.
Dyck mentioned that the research project also aims to document and preserve the harm reduction strategies employed at festivals to contribute to an informative archive of experiences that are typically not formally recorded but hold valuable insights.
“We seek to establish a repository of these practices, as they are often overlooked in conventional archives, yet they offer essential knowledge that should inform future discussions,” she emphasized.
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