he same
June 2015 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 7
Ian’s interaction with a young couple. They had only
one previous experience of illicit drugs and the
woman in particular experienced a bad reaction. Ian
helped them explore whether they wanted to take
the substance again, discuss testing strategies and
dose, drug and alcohol interactions and other
contributing factors like environment. Before this
intervention they had intended taking a half-gram
single dose each, putting themselves at considerable
risk. We don’t know what their decision was, but we
do know it was a more informed one. There were
dozens of similar HR interventions.
The majority of respondents sourced drugs from
friends, while a quarter bought from street dealers,
with only 9 per cent purchasing via the internet.
Friends and the internet were equally popular
sources of drug information, and friends were the
major reported source of support. More respondents
would consult drugs agencies for support than for
information, but 70 per cent did not use agencies at
all. A majority (56 per cent) said they had taken a
substance without knowing what it was, with 11
per cent reporting doing this often. There was a
significant gender bias of this risk towards men,
which fits with more general trends in health-
related research on gender and risk-taking
behaviours. A significantly greater figure of 53 per
cent of women never took unknown substances,
compared to 37 per cent of men.
Although the majority said they had not
deliberately taken an unknown substance, many
expressed concern that they could do so unwittingly.
This substantial risk could be addressed with drug
checking, which happens already in some contexts in
the UK and elsewhere. It may be that festivals would
embrace drug-checking onsite, if legislation allowed.
The success of BDP’s HR presence at the festival in
2014 is demonstrated particularly well by workers
being sought out by those concerned for friends who
had used and become unwell – the result of positive
earlier engagement with the service. Workers were
able to assess and liaise with medical and welfare
services using radios provided by the festival.
BoomTown Fair has re-commissioned BDP this year
to build on the good work achieved at the 2014 event,
with additional BDP volunteers to provide a greater
capacity for HR and outreach. There will also be a
structured programme of interactive HR workshops,
information films and live speakers to engage with a
wider audience at the festival and to inspire people to
feel confident about talking openly about drug use
and HR. BDP will also run the research questionnaire
again, providing the opportunity to see any changes
from 2014 and to demonstrate tangible results in
engagement and the effectiveness of the service.
Tautology it may be, but it is worth spelling out
that harm reduction reduces harm. We have the
will, knowledge and ability to do more. A pragmatic
governmental policy shift to enable delivery of
more effective HR at festivals would mean a
reduction in drug-related damage – so the song
need not remain the same.
TracyWalker is assessment engagement worker
at BDP. TomMartin can be found at
‘BoomTown Fair has
re-commissioned
BDP this year to
build on the good
work achieved at the
2014 event, with
additional BDP
volunteers to provide
a greater capacity for
HR and outreach.’
