Astonishing results from free testing of illicit drugs at festivals
Many festival-goers take drugs. But last summer, a significant number decided against it after being told the drug they
were about to take was not what they thought.
During the summer festival season, community group KnowYourStuffNZ tested over three hundred illicit drugs at eight
music festivals and found that thirty one percent(31%) of the samples were not as presumed.When the drug was not at all
what they expected, over halfsaid they planned not to use it, potentially averting serious harm.
KnowYourStuffNZ spokesperson Wendy Allison said she and other members of the festival community started the free service
in 2014, after a festival medic told her someone would die if nothing was done to reduce the risk of harm from
adulterated drugs.
“We run this service so that people can make informed choices about their drug use, because that information could keep
them alive.”
Allison said more support from the public and from law makers would enable all New Zealand festivals to offerfree
testing of recreational drugs, which is currently being carried out in a legal grey area.
Today, New Zealanders were invited to support a PledgeMe campaign which will fund a second drug testing spectrometerto
be used at festivals. Donations will fund a more widespread, free service. It’s also a way to demonstrate support for
the law changes required to remove the grey area.
Allison said festival goers usually believed they possessed the popular recreational drugs MDMA or LSD, but testing
sometimesrevealed potentially more dangeroussubstances. Thirty-nine(39) distinct psychoactive substances were identified
in total.
“Without drug checking, people go to events and use drugs which they purchase illicitly with no assurancesthat what they
have is what they think it is, or what quality and strength it is. So,they take a massive additional risk on something
we now have the technology to address.”
There have been several drug-related deaths at music festivals around the world in recent years. Ross Bell, Executive
Director ofthe NZ Drug Foundation,said the legal grey area exists because the legislation around drug use is obsolete
and is urging the government to modernise the Act to allow new health innovations to happen.
“The Misuse of Drugs Act puts volunteers and staff at risk of a drug possession charge, and festival organisers may be
seen to be facilitating illegal drug use. But that law was developed for the 1970s. Drugs have changed, science has
moved on, and new technology has been developed. It’s time government played catch up.
“Festival organisers are clamouring for drug checking services but are fearful of the legal risks. We need to remove any
legal barrier to these life-saving services. I can see a time in the near future when these testing services won’t just
be mainstream but even mandatory at festivals and large events,” said Ross.
The free testing service is provided by KnowYourStuffNZ in partnership with the NZ Drug Foundation, which helped by
purchasing the first spectrometer. The expensive equipment can detect the presence of thousands of substances, from
mundane to potentially life threatening.