A 22-year-old woman has died, and a 25-year-old woman is in a critical condition at Concord Hospital, after attending yesterday’s Stereosonic music festival in Sydney.
48,000 revellers flocked to Sydney Olympic Park for the much-anticipated event, partying to the beats of dance artists like Armin Van, Peking Duk, Axwell and Major Lazer.
A major drug detection operation once again failed to deter patrons from bringing drugs to the festival, with 69 people charged with drug possession and supply, and a further 23 issued with cannabis cautions. More are expected to be charged today.
Assistant Police Commissioner Mennilli described the number of people charged as: ‘alarming and disappointing, especially after we warned revellers about the dangers of drug use’.
Patrons took to social media during the festival, describing it as a ‘drug fuelled festival of fu%kery’ and stating ‘there are many creative ways to get drugs into festivals. Everyone does it’. One person lamented that ‘During Woodstock days there was a purpose to explore your inner self. Help your neighbour love peace and so on. Now it’s how wasted is not enough for Monday morning. SAD.’
The posts suggest that major drug detection operations have failed to deter patrons from bringing drugs to music festivals; and if the 22-year-old’s tragic death is indeed drug related, the incident could bolster calls for changes to drug policies – including the introduction of European-style pill testing rooms to ensure that drugs at festivals are free from potentially deadly fillers.
Sniff Off Responds
‘Sniff Off’ is a Facebook page of Greens MP David Shoebridge, who has been outspoken about the ineffectiveness of sniffer dog operations in deterring drug use and preventing deaths.
The page responded to yesterday’s events by posting:
‘This is tragic. The drug dog program is an expensive exercise for show that did nothing to prevent this woman’s death. If the millions spent on this program were redirected to actual harm prevention measures like pill testing kits, amnesty bins, and better healthcare at the festival this might have been avoided.’
It is a view shared by heath care professionals, experts on drug policy both here and abroad, families of those killed after ‘loading up’ on drugs, and members of the general public.
The Dangers of ‘Loading Up’ and Deadly Fillers
The latest death is a painful reminder of the dangers of ‘loading up’ – or taking multiple pills at once to avoid detection by sniffer dogs. A number of highly-publicised deaths at music festivals in recent years has been attributed to the practice.
In 2009, 17-year-old Gemma Thoms died at the Perth leg of the Big Day Out festival. The Coroners Court heard that she had consumed three ecstasy pills in quick succession as she was worried about being caught by sniffer dogs.
Shortly afterwards, she began shaking, before collapsing on the floor and convulsing. She was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead the following day.
And in 2013, 23-year-old James Munro died at the Defqon.1 festival in Sydney after also quickly consuming three ecstasy pills. His father, Stephen Munro, told the media that his son had taken the pills after becoming aware of the strong police presence at the gates.
Drug experts have also warned of the hidden dangers associated with the use of sniffer dogs.
Lucy Burns from the National Alcohol and Drug Research Centre says that many festivalgoers feel coerced into loading up to avoid detection by sniffer dogs:
‘People might go to a festival and see there’s a lot of security dogs there…They may be including to get rid of any drugs they’ve got on them, they may ingest them…Of course that does come with problems because once you’ve got it in your system it’s very hard to get it out.’
Another danger associated with our current drug policy is the simple fact that users do not know what is in the drugs that are sold to them.
The unregulated black market means that drug suppliers can determine the purity and ingredients contained in drugs such as ecstasy – and often cut or lace pills with dangerous and toxic substances to save money.
This essentially means that users gamble with their lives every time they consume drugs.
Many have suggested that this issue could be resolved by decriminalising drugs and leaving it up to governments to regulate what goes into them in a bid to prevent further deaths.
The European Approach
Another initiative which has already proven instrumental in preventing overdoses is ‘pill testing.’
In Europe, many music festivals and rave clubs provide patrons with free drug testing services which allow users to ascertain exactly what is in their drugs before they consume them. Results are provided in as little as 30 minutes, and police who patrol the events allow users to have their drugs tested without fear of arrest.
In some instances, trained medical professionals and experts are on hand to provide patrons with advice about drug use.
These initiatives have proven to reduce the risk of overdose, as those who discover that their drugs contain potentially deadly substances generally refrain from consuming them.
However, governments and police seem intent on persisting with the failed current approach, which will almost certainly result in further unnecessary tragedies.
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