New Zealand has become the first country in the world to fully legalise recreational drug checking, marking a major victory for those advocating substance tests at music events to reduce hospitalisations and fatalities.
Greater Manchester Police are investigating the death of a man who was taken ill at The Warehouse Project in the early hours of Saturday, 25th September. The death follows recent warnings about high-strength pills following hospitalisations and two deaths in English clubs in August.
Drug testing charity The Loop has issued a warning to UK clubbers about identical-looking pills which actually contain different chemical substances.
Scientists testing drugs at this month's Parklife festival in Manchester came across four sets of pills in circulation that looked like they were part of the same batch, but were actually made with various different drugs.
The Loop has warned that this is a problem as people might purchase more pills following a good experience, and end up with something different that could harm them, depending on dosage.
The UK Government is being urged to support drug testing at festivals to increase safety following a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee meeting last month.
An Australian politician has put forward a proposal to relocate the Defqon 1 festival to Canberra from its current Sydney base.
The move comes in the wake of this year’s event which left two people dead, three more in critical condition, and many others seeking medical attention.
Two people have died after attending Sydney, Australia festival, Defqon.1.
23-year-old Joseph Pham and a 21-year-old woman were pronounced dead at Nepean hospital after having collapsed at the annual hardstyle festival, according to a police report. Both festival-goers, from western Sydney and Melbourne respectively, died from suspected drug overdoses.
The whole point about harm minimisation is admitting that people are always going to take drugs, whatever anyone in authority says or does — so, recognising that, the best thing to do is to provide info so that they do so safely... is that right?
"By manufacturing pills at four times the average strength, effectively a dealer will be reducing the volume of drugs, the risk of detection and also the length of sentence if caught and convicted by four”
In a move destined to raise eyebrows, Leeds and Reading Festivals have opted to ban pineapples for 2017, confirming that the fruit, once considered a luxury in sun-starved Britain, has been added to the prohibited items list for this year's events.
According to sources, the decision has come after fans of indie troupe Glass Animals, who are due to play at the twin UK events, turned up to shows brandishing the be-spiked food in preparation for the song 'Pork Soda', in which the tropical delicacy gets a reference.
Secret Garden Party became the first UK festival to introduce on-site drug testing for festival goers at the event over the weekend (22nd-24th July), allowing people to check what is in their illegal substances.
The service was run by charity The Loop, who have previously tested drugs seized by police, dropped in amnesty bins or provided by paramedics as a result of a medical incident at events like The Warehouse Project. The scheme was operated at Secret Garden Party with the backing of the local Cambridgeshire council and police.
