For many years, summer music festivals have been venues where some attendees opt to use psychedelics and other substances. A team of researchers is examining how these events incorporate harm reduction practices and what insights can be gained from them. Erika Dyck, a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a Canada Research Chair in the history of health and social justice, has dedicated the past two decades to studying psychedelics.
Due to the prevalence of substance use at music festivals, harm reduction strategies are frequently implemented in these settings, Dyck mentioned in an interview with CBC’s Saskatoon Morning. She emphasized that although these festivals are recreational spaces, they also serve as places where individuals seek to care for each other and minimize potential harms.
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 topic. Tupper highlighted that drug checking initiatives originated in Canada within the context of music festivals. The British Columbia Centre on Substance Use introduced a portable FTIR spectrometer around 2017, which proved to be instrumental in testing drugs 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. Zandra Kaszas, the artistic director, stressed the importance of preparedness and safety protocols at the event. In addition to standard safety provisions such as security and hydration stations, the festival collaborated with the Nēwo Yōtina Friendship Centre to set up a naloxone station to address potential overdoses.
Tupper highlighted that drug testing services offer attendees a degree of certainty before making decisions regarding drug consumption. Additionally, providing counseling services to help individuals navigate their experiences can be crucial in saving lives.
The research project aims to document and preserve the harm reduction strategies employed at festivals to contribute valuable insights for future discussions and initiatives in this area. The team believes that these records, typically not found in conventional archives, hold significant informational value and should be included in ongoing conversations surrounding harm reduction efforts.