Indie Music Festival Becomes First To Offer Drug Testing In Country

UK Independent music festival Secret Garden Party has become the first event of its kind in the country to offer drug testing. 

As The Guardian reports, around 200 individuals participated in the testing at the Cambridgeshire-based event, which was cleared to go ahead by police and local council.

Founder of the annual arts and music festival, Freddie Fellowes, said he was "thrilled" for his event to be the first to offer drug testing in the UK.

"Harm reduction and welfare is a vital part of hosting any event and it’s an area that for too long has seen little development or advancement," Fellowes said.

The testings were carried out by UK organisation The Loop.

"The Loop has been conducting forensic testing at events for a number of years, but before now, we’ve only tested drugs seized by police, dropped in amnesty bins or provided by paramedics as a result of a medical incident," co-founder Fiona Measham said. 

"For the first time we’ve been able to offer the testing service to individual users as part of a tailored advice and information package provided by a team of experienced drugs workers," she continued.

"This can help people make informed choices, raising awareness of particularly dangerous substances in circulation and reducing the chance of drug-related problems occurring."

The trial has already been considered a success after over 80 substances tested were found to be seriously dangerous, including anti-maleria tablets that were sold as ketamine. 

"Around a quarter of people who brought in their drugs then asked us to dispose of them when they discovered that they had been mis-sold or were duds," senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, Steve Rolles, said.

"We were taking dangerous substances out of circulation."

Rolles said he hopes the effectiveness of the testing at Secret Garden Party will encourage national organisations to implement it at more events. 

"Until the laws are reformed, testing and encouraging safer drug use is the least we can do," he said.

"We hope this groundbreaking service becomes the norm for all such events. It is now up to others to follow, to protect the health and safety of their customers. In truth it would be negligent for them not to."

The news comes just months after Tasmania were the latest Australian state to dismiss drug testing at music festival, while NSW Premier Mike Baird's stance against testing has not wavered.