The conversation surrounding drug use at music festivals has become a national dialogue over the past 12 months and it seems as though there’s been more initiatives, public opinion, and research aimed at it than ever before.
A study is currently being conducted by Jodie Grigg under the supervision of Professor Simon Lenton from the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University and Dr. Monica Barratt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
They’re encouraging young people to fill out their online survey, which questions participants on their experience with drugs and music festivals. It’s completely anonymous and takes about 15-30 minutes of your time, depending on your level of drug use at festivals.
“Outdoor music festivals have becoming increasingly popular in Australia and internationally in recent years, particularly those with a focus on electronic dance music,” researchers write.
“Since their emergence, these events have been consistently identified as popular environments for alcohol and other drug use, and in recent years they have been linked to a number of drug-related deaths.”
“This has led to increasing concern about the risk of future drug-related harm, however, there has been some disagreement about the best way to manage drug-related issues at these events.”
“For example, some might support the use of drug detection (‘sniffer’) dogs, while others might prefer the introduction of pill testing or drug checking facilities.”
“While these events have attracted extensive media coverage and general public and political debate, there currently exists a lack of empirical evidence available to inform interventions.”
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“This project aims to address this gap by drawing on the knowledge, experience and expertise of festival-goers themselves, as well as a range of key stakeholders such as event organisers, emergency health services and those involved in managing/regulating these events.”
The researchers want all festivalgoers — not just those who use drugs — to participate. They’re looking to investigate all drug use at festivals, including alcohol, and consider potential future policy strategies to reduce harm to punters.
“When you submit your responses at the end of the survey, you will be directed to a page where you can enter the draw to win a $500 JB Hi-Fi gift card!” researchers add. Check out the survey via Curtin University here.
