For many years, summer music festivals have served as venues where certain individuals opt to partake in psychedelics and other substances. A team of researchers is currently examining the implementation of harm reduction practices at these events and the valuable lessons that can be derived from them.
Erika Dyck, the lead researcher and a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan, along with being a Canada Research Chair in the history of health and social justice, has dedicated the past two decades to studying psychedelics. Dyck highlighted that music festivals, being common settings for the use of such substances, are also where harm reduction strategies are frequently put into place as attendees seek to care for one another and minimize potential risks.
Kenneth Tupper, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health, is part of the research team investigating this subject. He noted that drug checking initiatives initially took root in Canada through music festivals, particularly amid the toxic drug crisis response around 2016 when British Columbia declared a public health emergency. The British Columbia Centre on Substance Use introduced a portable drug testing instrument, an FTIR spectrometer, in approximately 2017, which proved ideal for testing substances at festivals like Shambhala and Bass Coast.
The inaugural edition of the Regina Exchange Folk Festival took place recently, with a strong emphasis on harm reduction and safety measures during event preparations. Zandra Kaszas, the festival’s artistic director, stressed the importance of readiness for unforeseen circumstances, such as overdoses. In addition to standard safety protocols like security and hydration stations, the Nēwo Yōtina Friendship Centre provided a naloxone station at the festival as a precautionary measure.
Tupper underscored the significance of drug testing services in offering individuals greater certainty before making decisions about drug use. He emphasized that counseling services can be lifesaving by assisting individuals in navigating their experiences effectively. Dyck emphasized that the research project aims to document the harm reduction strategies employed at festivals to create a valuable repository of information that is often not preserved in traditional archives but is crucial for future discussions.
Overall, the team believes that these experiences and strategies should play a pivotal role in shaping ongoing conversations surrounding harm reduction efforts at music festivals.