DRUGS at music festivals have . There have been deaths, and some people have ended up with mental health problems.
This is why I signed up to work with Kosmicare, a “psychedelic harm reduction” service backed by the organisers of last month’s Boom Festival in Portugal. It aims to minimise risks faced by people who are in a distressed state, often through the use of substances such as LSD and MDMA.
Usually, people enduring what is commonly known as a bad trip are at best left to their own devices to ride it out. At worst – if their behaviour becomes erratic, uncontrollable or dangerous – the police or emergency medics get involved. Such interventions can intensify the unwanted effects of drugs and end in a criminal record or the inappropriate diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder.
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“The work at Boom is a good example of making drug use a public health issue, not a judicial one“
The creation of a safe place for them at Boom is a good example of what happens when drug use is made a public health issue, not a judicial one. In 2001, Portugal decriminalised drug use, allowing the main response to be one of healthcare. This helps services like Kosmicare operate in full cooperation with event organisers. Its team at Boom numbers around 80, with at least a dozen people on duty at any time. Some bring medical, psychiatric or psychological training to the task, although most are volunteers.
In other countries, people may still view harm reduction approaches as encouraging illegal behaviour, with violators unworthy of support. There are signs that these attitudes, which reflect local drug laws, are changing. For the first time this year, a UK event, Secret Garden Party, . And Kosmicare has inspired a group in the UK to offer services at festivals there.
But does the approach work? assessed the impact at Boom: volunteers reported positive outcomes in 90 per cent of interventions, involving nearly 200 people. It was not a controlled study, but the hope is that more extensive assessment will bolster the case for harm reduction.
Maybe one summer soon, festival headlines will only be about the music.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Great support act”
