Music Festival " Licenses " !

Not long ago the New South Wales government was threatening to ban music festivals as its favoured remedy to prevent deaths from drug overdoses.  It is rare for one of these to conclude without at least one death in the crowd and a few dozen people needing attention by paramedics because of very adverse reactions to the drugs in circulation.

This is despite a heavy police presence with drug sniffer dogs monitoring the incoming crowd.  This ignores the fact that a high proportion of fans who attend music festivals actively want the " high " that Ecstasy provides and these deaths can be mainly attributed to illegal concoctions put together to supply a willing market.  Despite police efforts, those with the money will easily find a supplier wherever there is demand.

This is an election year and banning music festivals would bring an adverse response from young people, so the government has decided to slap a new license requirement on the organizers of these events.  This will be almost identical with the liquor license necessary before a pub or a club is legally able to operate and the granting of that license will be subjected to approval by a panel of experts.   This will include representatives of NSW Health, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Liquor and Gaming NSW.

It seems that drug testing is off the table as a health measure and granting a music festival license will depend on the organizers providing whatever measures this committee demands.  No doubt that will stipulate the size of resuscitation facilities and paramedic numbers provided relating to the crowd numbers and " chill out " areas where recovery can be assisted.  All this comes at a cost and obviously that cost will be reflected in entry prices.

There is a similar correlation between the supply of drugs in NSW and the American attempt to impose prohibition on alcohol.  The demand for illicit alcohol was so huge that it ushered in the gangster era and that is precisely what we are encountering here with drugs.  Lethal combinations are being put together to cash in on this demand and that is what is killing people at music festivals.

This demand for Ecstasy will remain because the vast majority have successfully achieved the desired " high " on other occasions without incident.  The losers will be first time users who encounter a rejection by their metabolism - or who have the misfortune to buy the product of a totally incompetent drug cook.  The best this new license can provide is perhaps a quicker medical response when an adverse drug reaction becomes apparent.

This license imposition may save a few lives, but the drug war was lost a long time ago.  The safety aspect can be better achieved by regulating what is legally available and leaving the choice to individuals.  At least such choice removes the " forbidden fruit " syndrome  !