**Last week I shared the positive experiences I have learned from music festivals. Every experience is different, and what you do or don't do at these events is not anything for me to judge. I have seen mainly good things at festivals, but also have seen my fair share of the ugly aftermath of too much dosing and drinking.
EDM (Electronic Dance Music) culture and its history have a reputation for the overwhelming acceptance of substance use and lack of potentially life-saving prevention resources.
The 90's-influenced underground slowly began creeping above ground, eventually resulting in a worldwide phenomenon of music festivals attracting hundreds of thousands of people. However, the culture’s bad reputation of drug and alcohol abuse also followed.
The most popular drug at the time was Ecstasy, which ravers argued enhanced the whole love and happiness experience (much like the 60s and 70s with the popularity of LSD and other hallucinogens). Ecstasy increased stamina for dancing and induced overwhelming feelings of euphoria. Ecstasy, the pill form of MDMA (methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), can be harmful if too much is taken because it increases body temperature, causing vital organs to shut down, along with severe dehydration and decreased inhibition, resulting in riskier behaviors, such as unprotected sex with the potential to contract HIV/AIDS, STDs and unplanned pregnancy.
Festivals and raves are now seeing a rapid rise in substances that go far beyond Ecstasy, with scary side effects that can result in hospitalizations and fatalities. However, there has little to no increase in resources for prevention, education and harm-reduction to combat this issue.
EDM had spotty success in the late 90's, with a crash in popularity that appeared to be permanent.
During that lull in EDM, promoters were rebranding the whole culture.
Fast-forward to 2010: EDM was resurrected into extreme popularity. Pasquale Rotella, a loyal raver with a dream to turn electronic music into a mainstream, ultimate, sensory experience, started his company, Insomniac. He introduced the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) to Los Angeles, California. Promoters, such as Rotella, were trying to shake the negative association between raves and drug use. They began referring to large-scale raves as "festivals". They obtained proper permits and increased security in order to be taken seriously. Calling the events “festivals” also allowed companies to be more inclusive within the mainstream scenes because other music genres can be associated with festivals. Later, EDC was permitted where it still calls home: Las Vegas, NV, which is rapidly becoming one of the largest music festivals in the country.
Even with permits and security, the negative stigma still hasn't disappeared. Not only were raves rebranded into festivals, but Ecstasy has also been rebranded. The “pure” form of Ecstasy, which is MDMA, or better known as “Molly”. Except, Molly is everything but pure, considering it is cut with a cocktail of substances, the most common of which are cocaine, Adderall, aspirin, methamphetamine, heroin and household cleaning products.
Since it is clear that drugs will continue to appear at festivals, no matter what music is featured, more resources need to be available to keep people safe. Prevention at these events has become a necessary concept due to the negative stigma that the scene still cannot seem to shake off.
One organization in particular works tirelessly to promote safety at many of these festivals. DanceSafe is a non-profit organization providing educational health that has many chapters across the United States and Canada. The program organizers attend events to offer a variety of services, some of which have caused some controversy in the EDM community.
The most controversial service DanceSafe offers is drug testing. Trained volunteers will actually test pills, powders, and whatever else you bring them to identify the active ingredients in the substances. This helps keep attendees informed of the risks they take by not questioning what they are ingesting. DanceSafe also works with the only public laboratory, EcstasyData.org, to test substances that are sent in anonymously, to identify the chemical properties of the drugs submitted. DanceSafe’s mission is as much prevention as it is harm reduction.
The issue with testing kits is that the promoters and producers may actually be held liable for any overdoses, or other drug-related accidents that occur on festival grounds. Therefore, testing kits are banned from most sites because it appears as if the promoters allow drugs at their events. As a result, DanceSafe has had an issue with festival administrators shutting down their booths, just for providing information to others about drug use, side effects and safety measures. I would say that this is somewhat an understandable reaction, but it is also the result of complete ignorance and hypocrisy.
If you were not already aware, promoters knowingly let substances through the gates and even take a percentage of the profits. Shane Morris, a former manager in the EDM scene, was compelled to write a two-part series on the inner workings of drug dealings within festivals. He wanted the public to know how serious the issue really is. He states:
“...The promoters win because they collect at the door, and a percentage of the Molly sold in the venue... The security wins because any 'non-promoter-approved' Molly dealer is thrown out and/or arrested, so they keep appearances with local law enforcement. The drug dealers win because their product is sold in a monopolized environment, free of competition, where they are free to set the price. The venue wins because they can avoid the rave laws and feign ignorance...”
This is not to say that all promoters allow this to happen. But, many do knowingly ignore the inner-workings of the festival drug trade, whether they are actually allowing “approved” drug dealers into their venues hours before security even shows up, or by using their authority to shut down the wrong threats.
In addition to the shady business dealings, back in 2002, the RAVE Act (Reducing American’s Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act) was implemented at first to shut down illegal, underground parties. However, the RAVE Act is now an outdated law that causes more harm because of the promoters’ fear of prosecution. Even the availability of free water and “cool down” spaces can be seen as promoting drug use, which increases the risk of heatstroke, hyperthermia and dehydration.
Thousands of people dancing for hours in one space, usually at outside venues during the warmest months, with a minimal emergency responder staff are a dangerous mix for both drug users and non-users. Organizations, like DanceSafe, can only do so much to spread awareness and many people don’t even get to utilize the most beneficial resources these health organizations have to offer.
If promoters are going to allow dealers through the doors, then educating individuals on the pros and cons of using substances at these particular events is the only logical option. Even teaching attendees how to use these drugs can be helpful. Some famous DJs who headline these festivals have taken a stand against using substances to enjoy the music. Major Lazer, a highly successful DJ, gave his opinion on the rising drug issue at festivals. He stated in an article:
“It's going to sound weird, but we need to teach kids how to do drugs, the same way we teach them about drinking responsibly and having safe sex... Instead of acting like drugs don't exist, acknowledge that drugs will be at a festival and address them.’"
So, where do we go from here?
Drug use is not going to just stop because we say its bad and the “just say no” method has been notoriously useless.
Start by showing people how to be safe about their drug use and educate their effects and consequences. This can help people make informed decisions, and try a different approach to having fun at festivals.
Let organizations like DanceSafe bring in their testing kits and increase awareness to attendees, so they can prevent the ultimate tragedy of a young person dying because they thought Molly was going to be fun and harmless.
Promoters need to stop capitalizing off of naïve music lovers, and acknowledge the consequences of turning a blind eye.
The government must acknowledge that the RAVE Act is severely outdated and harmful to the growing festival industry. There are currently efforts to amend this action, so please take the time to learn more and contact your lawmakers.
For the time being, believe in the foundation of PLUR and help one another. Bring extra water to give to someone who needs it, share snacks and get medical personnel if something seems concerning with you or someone else. Festivals are a place for unique individuals to come together and enjoy music. Just make sure you and your friends get home safe, so you can start planning your next multi-day adventure.
