Given the extent of Rupert Murdoch’s empire, you would expect that his eyes and ears would have at least picked up that maybe, somewhere along the way, at one or two events throughout the last few decades, some people enjoy dabbling in narcotics when they go to music festivals. Well, turns out that despite being one of the biggest news mediums in the country, when The Daily Telegraph went to Listen Out Festival in Sydney, the shock of being offered drugs was just a little too much for them.
Given the nature of the article, it seems like it was quite the dramatic experience; “We hadn’t even made it to the front gates when the call of “caps caps” was whispered into my ear… he was offering MDMA capsules at $30 a pop, or $25 for those buying in bulk.” As the reporter continued their day, they were confronted with even more evidence that despite warnings people, for reasons unknown, were carrying illicit substances and potentially even consuming them. “The portable toilet cubicles were littered with remnants of illicit substances, including empty resealable bags and plastic balloons. A stream of people flowed through the medical tent suffering from the effects of alcohol or other substances.”
The article goes on to talk about how NSW Premier Mike Baird had warned festival organisers to “clean up or shut up” when it came to drugs at events. It also mentioned a number of previous drug-related deaths at festivals, but failed to talk about the reasons why this happened or ways to prevent it in future. And for those worries that the Tele had gone Gonzo, rest assured they absolutely did not. They found it necessary to end the article by actually writing, “The Sunday Telegraph did not purchase any drugs.”
Image: Imgur
It’s ok, Telegraph. Pretending that drugs at festivals are a new and surprising change to society sure does make for an interesting headline. It also allows you to ignore the real problems, right? You know, like how the vast majority of drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals could be avoided if pill testing facilities were implemented at events and if harm reduction information was readily available for youths around the country. What about how drug detection police dogs have been proven to cause more harm than good, and have little effect in general, despite costing the state more than $9 million a year? Easy to overlook if you’re so dumbfounded by the mere presence of drugs, right?
Writing an article about how shocking it is to see drugs at a festival is like writing an article about how people went to the beach on a hot day. But the very existence of drugs is all that matters in this discussion, right? Not looking at ways to reduce harm, promote safe usage and prevent further injuries and deaths. That would just be silly. Brace yourselves for a long summer people.
Read more: We really, really need pill testing at music festivals: here’s why. Image: Music Feeds
Cambridgeshire, UK festival Secret Garden Party has become the first UK event to introduce drug testing for festivalgoers on site.
This is a fantastic move in the international efforts towards harm reduction and a kind of educated awareness about drugs and drug use in 2016 – an approach that unfortunately is yet to be welcomed in Australia, and has in fact been rejected by our government numerous times.
Around 200 attendees used the testing facility, arranged by drug testing organisation The Loop. Now in its 12th year, festival founder Freddie Fellowes told The Guardian that he was “thrilled” to offer drug testing at the festival. “Harm reduction and welfare is a vital part of hosting any event and it’s an area that for too long has seen little development or advancement.”
The Loop reportedly offered attendees a ten minutes of health and safety advice, including on-the-spot drug testing, used to determine exactly what is found within an attendees’ drugs, and whether it is safe for consumption.
Festival co-founder Fiona Measham called the move “a big step forward,” and indeed, it’s an incredible move that we will hopefully see replicated in Australia and across the world at festivals, nightclubs and so on. Currently, the Australian police force are more focused on employing techniques like increased numbers of drug detection dogs, overbearing body and vehicle searches, and harsher grounds for arresting and charging punters found with varying quantities of illicit substances. Over the weekend, a police operation was in full swing at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay, with more than 200 drug-related arrests made.
Measham said, “For the first time we’ve been able to offer the testing service to individual users as part of a tailored advice and information package provided by a team of experienced drugs workers. This can help people make informed choices, raising awareness of particularly dangerous substances in circulation and reducing the chance of drug-related problems occurring.”
More than 80 substances were tested at Secret Garden Party. Among the results, tests uncovered extra high-strength MDMA, as well as numerous examples of “misrepresented” substances, including anti-malaria tablets posing as ketamine, and ammonium sulphate instead of MDMA.
Below, explore some of our ongoing, extensive reporting of the need for pill testing at music events.
A doctor and a rapper call for drug testing at music festivals
A young woman dies at Dragon Dreaming as more evidence that drug testing at events arises
Drug-related death at A State Of Trance: We need drug testing NOW.
Pill testing to go ahead in all states except for NSW
Pill testing not an option, says Mike Baird
We really, really need pill testing at music festivals. Here’s why
Image: Alamy/The Guardian