Summer music festivals have long been venues where certain individuals opt to use psychedelics and other substances.
An investigative team is currently examining the harm reduction practices implemented at these gatherings and the potential lessons to be gleaned from them.
Erika Dyck, the lead researcher and a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a Canada Research Chair in the history of health and social justice, has dedicated the past twenty years to the study of psychedelics.
According to Dyck, music festivals, being prevalent settings for the utilization of these substances, are also locations where harm reduction methods are frequently put into action. She mentioned to CBC’s Saskatoon Morning, “They are recreational spaces, but they are nonetheless still places where people look to care for each other and look to reduce harms.”
Kenneth Tupper, also part of the research team for this project, serves as an adjunct professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
He highlighted that Canada’s drug checking practices originated at music festivals.
“[It] gained traction in Canada as part of the response to the toxic drug crisis around 2016. This coincided with the declaration of a public health emergency in British Columbia,” Tupper noted.
He added that the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use introduced a new device, an FTIR spectrometer, for drug testing purposes around 2017. Its portability made it well-suited for deployment at festivals like Shambhala, Bass Coast, and others.
The inaugural edition of the Regina Exchange Folk Festival took place earlier this month. Zandra Kaszas, the artistic director, emphasized the importance of harm reduction and safety in the event preparations.
“You don’t want to think that it’s ever going to happen, but we also wanted to be prepared for it,” remarked Kaszas.
In addition to standard safety measures such as security, hydration stations, and on-site ambulance services, the Nēwo Yōtina Friendship Centre (NYFC) was present at the festival equipped with a naloxone station for potential overdoses.
Tupper stressed that drug testing services offer individuals greater certainty before making decisions regarding drug use. Providing counseling for individuals to navigate their experiences can also be life-saving, he emphasized.