Recognising the Drug Epidemic !

The Coronial inquest into deaths at music festivals has been told that ninety percent of those attending are using some sort of mind altering drug and that the popular choice is MDMA, with ketamine and cocaine playing a lesser role.

The focus of this enquiry is the deaths of six young people who died at music festivals that drew crowds measured in thousands.  Each of those deaths is a tragedy for both the parents of the victims and their numerous friends but perhaps the question that needs to be asked is why only six people died if drug use is that widespread ?

If ninety percent of those thousands attending music festivals successfully used drugs to achieve the mood swing they needed to enjoy the music played and went home afterwards with no ill effects there is every chance that they will repeat that action at future festivals, and inevitably there will be a further small percentage of deaths amongst the crowd.

The whole aim of law enforcement has been directed at stopping the drug trade in Australia - and that has clearly failed.   Not only do drug imports continue to slip through the customs net, we have an ever expanding local industry creating drugs for sale and many of the products made in contrived drug laboratories are a mix of ingredients that are lethal.  Those drug cooks are not interested in quality.  Their aim is to make money and they couldn't care less if what they sold killed somebody.

It would be realistic to suppose that nothing we are going to say or do is going to change the determination of music fans to use mind altering drugs when they pay big money to attend festivals that feature the bands they adore.  In fact, it is quite probable that our anti drug measures may have played a big part in causing some of those deaths.

We are using the " fear factor " to try and stop the taking of drugs and this manifests itself in uniformed cops with sniffer dogs at festival entrances.  Some patrons with drugs in their pocket intended for periodic use during the festival may panic - and take the lot and create an overdose.  Perhaps the thought of being stopped and strip searched is enough to create the fear factor that ends in the death of young people simply going along with the prevailing mood in the crowd.

The people who oppose pill testing are being unrealistic.  At least that may remove the really harmful substances circulating, but the biggest aid to saving lives is having medical attention quickly available.  Paramedics have the ability to reverse the ill effects of drugs - if they get to the victim in time.   The big numbers brought to the attention of paramedics at music festivals is encouraging.  Patrons are looking out for one another and this is saving lives.

Law enforcement needs to keep pressure on drug importers and the local drug industry but perhaps a less evident approach at music festivals might be more productive.  It is quite clear that police and sniffer dogs have failed to stop the circulation of drugs at music festivals.   If drug use is inevitable it  is better controlled with clearly marked availability of medical help to counter the harm caused.

Stopping drugs at the entrance has clearly failed.  The paramedic approach is a more practical way of stopping drug deaths !