Canada - Evolve Festival to offer free testing of concertgoers' drugs

[S.J.B.]

Evolve Festival to offer free testing of concertgoers' drugs
CBC
July 6th, 2015

The Evolve Festival will become the first music event in Nova Scotia to offer free drug testing kits for concertgoers this weekend.

The three-day Evolve Music and Awareness Festival has been attracting local and international performers to the Antigonish area since 2000. In previous years, drug use has put stress on the limited number of local emergency responders.

Jonas Colter, the festival producer with Evolve, said drugs are expected and giving attendees the chance to be more aware of what they're using is part of a harm reduction mandate.

"Last year we had, over three days, six ambulances were sent — about two per day. Three of them were kids who had done a drug that wasn't the drug that they thought that it was," Colter said, adding that reducing medical emergencies will also ease up on ambulance services.

The new tests are capable of analyzing LSD, MDMA and speed.

Read the full story here.

 

[neversickanymore]

 

[TheRapperGoneBad]

Yeah if only every festy could do this.

Can't be that exspensive, an can we really put a dollar amount on saved lives anyways?

 

[S.J.B.]

Evolve Festival in jeopardy over drug-testing kits for concertgoers
CBC
July 7th, 2015

One of Nova Scotia's most well-known music festivals may not go ahead this weekend after its liability insurance was pulled following its decision to offer free drug-testing kits to concertgoers.

Jonas Colter, the festival producer with the Evolve Music and Awareness Festival, revealed earlier this week that the three-day festival would become the first music event in Nova Scotia to offer the kits. Colter said drugs are expected and they want to give the attendees the chance to be more aware of what they're using.

He told CBC News on Tuesday that the decision has gone over well with many — but not his insurance company's underwriters.

"At this point, with the underwriter pulling the liability insurance, we can't have a festival," said Colter.

"Hopefully there's a progressive insurance underwriter out there who can take this on or at least this company or another one will take us on, perhaps with a contact signed that we won't do these tests."

Read the full story here.

Very disappointing.

 

[neversickanymore]

Liability insurance is possibly pulled for attempting to engage in activities that are intended to promote a safer festival.

They probably charge a premium price for this liability insurance, yet they pull this insurance when a festival attempts to make its self safer.

Clearly this is so they can pretend they are not engaging in and making money from a business in which drug taking plays a significant part.

 

[thujone]

i think the red flag here is this:

If a festival attendee wants their drugs to be tested, they can submit a small sample to festival staff. A primary and secondary litmus test will determine the chemical makeup.

sounds like the insurer would end up on the hook for damages if someone who had their drugs tested by festival staff still had an overdose or negative reaction. "they said it was safe!"