Arak Journal

Drugs, Death, & Rock ‘N’ Roll

By Lauryn Daniels

In a new age of accessing popular
music, contemporary music festivals have emerged as a prime way for young
adults to experience not only live music but also illicit drug usage.
Traditionally, music festivals have been seen as housing prominent music talent
on the forefront of the music scene. However, over the years such festivals have
been transformed into hotbeds of illicit drug distribution and consumption by
young adults. Party drugs, psychoactive stimulants that induce an altered state
of consciousness, are a popular part of many festival experiences (H Australia
2017). Drugs such as MDMA, ketamine, and cocaine only dust the surface of drugs
available for purchase at contemporary festivals, and all have the potential to
be laced, which exposes users to risks of overdoses and the possibility of
death. Although festival orchestrators and government policies have attempted
to enforce regulations to combat the use of verboten (illicit) drugs, the
efforts have not been completely effective because of the emphasis on complete
drug elimination. Festival orchestrators and partners need to take into
consideration that festival-goers are still going to participate in
recreational drug use, regardless of what policies are instituted. Therefore,
it is up to festival officials to change the rhetoric and focus on absolute
drug eradication within contemporary music festivals to a more hands-on, harm-reduction
approach.

Drugs are a fundamental component
for many festival attendant?s overall music experience. Whether a synthetic or
non-synthetic drug combination, drug use is a critical part of festival culture
and continues to be a popular festival recreation nationwide. Festivals are a
sensory-heavy experience filled with electrifying music, dancing, intricate
light shows, and art. They entice participants to be in nature, observing the
arts and culture, or the environmental sustainability efforts and the
opportunities to practice spirituality throughout the festival? (Franciotti 1).
Contemporary festivals are starting to embrace the psychedelic culture in
addition to emphasizing building communities, growth, and creative outlets of
expression. This combination is leading to more music festival than ever
having a psychedelic focus? (Franciotti). The motivation for  drug use by attendees cannot be attributed to
a single rationale, but many in attendance are looking for an experience that
connects them with something and to each other? 
(Franciotti 4). Others choose to participate in illicit drug use in
order to intensify the festival experience, enhance the party atmosphere, or
merely to dabble in new drug experiences. With a psychedelic focus for these
festivals in mind, this offers a chance for festival attendees to experience
drugs in an inclusive environment, despite efforts of law enforcement, and despite
festival policies intended to curb distribution and consumption of these
substances.

With contemporary music festivals
developing into sanctuaries for artistic talents, self-identity, and
psychedelic escapes, festivals are also home to the illicit drug consumer
market that has been steadily on the rise. As new synthetic and non-synthetic
drugs are put on the market, these drugs are easily obtainable. The majority of
festival-goers are inclined towards the drug classes of stimulants, entactogens
and hallucinogens, party drugs whose side-effects are known for increasing the
festival ambiance. Acknowledged by their street names, Ecstasy and Molly are
synthetic drugs that fall under the class of entactogens. Entactogens encourage
?an emotional state of positive mood? and shifts perceptions of surroundings?
(NIH 2018). Stimulants, such as Ketamine, Methamphetamine (Meth), and Adderall,
provide the user with enhanced sensory perception, emotional warmth, and a
distorted sense of time? (Brande 1). Drugs at festivals also include
hallucinogens such as Mushrooms, Acid, and LSD. Party drugs within this
category have the ability to produce hallucinations because of mood-altering
properties that distort perceptions, giving a dream-like appearance to a club [or
festival] environment? (?Northpoint 2016?). Depending on the activities
available to attendees, some festival enthusiasts, such as attendees at the EDC
(Electric Daisy Carnival) and Ultra, find a drug of choice.  These festivals reported high rates of MDMA
and cocaine consumption? (?Tickpick 2017?). With the convenience of drugs available
for purchase at festivals, consumers are able to share a euphoric festival
experience in an electric environment that almost seems to encourage drug
exploration. But with the influx of non-regulated drug purchases and not enough
education on party drug consumption at festivals, it is a constant gamble for
consumers when it comes to acquiring unauthorized substances.

When festival guests engage in
recreational drug use, they are vulnerable to the many risk factors that come
with the prohibited drug scene. The festival realm is a demanding atmosphere
filled with itineraries containing back-to-back music talent and art
exhibitions that extend until late hours, which often puts pressure on
attendees to be present at every event. 
One festival advocate reported that a festival she attended ran from
noon until midnight,? and numerous people were staggering around with giant
pupils and grinding jaws? due to stimulant use in order to stay alert? (Weiss
2). Multi-day festivals become an exhausting ordeal for festival-goers and can
even be dangerous if you?re partying too hard or not sleeping, eating, or
drinking enough fluids? (Gomez-Escolar 2). Illicit drug abuse in festivals can
lead to exhaustion and undernourishment that can lead to or be combined with paranoia,
heat stroke, heart problems, and anxiety. Another issue concerning improper
drug use at festivals relates to what drugs participants are choosing to
solicit. When the potent drugs are mixed with another substance, or a bad
?trip? occurs, the side effects can be serious. If a festival-goer makes a
decision to take ketamine and drink alcohol it is very possible to die while
drinking and using ketamine? (Northpoint 1). Similarly, the high-profile drug
LSD can provide users with extreme visual hallucinations and a more personal
interaction with their surroundings, but every trip is not an enjoyable
experience. Multiple deaths have been reported due to the combination of
multiple drugs, including the case of Daniel Cyriaco, a young man who was found
with Ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin in his system, according to the toxicology
report? ( Hamilton and Lin 1). A huge danger with ingesting LSD is that a
person who is experiencing a bad trip? faces paranoia and can be very
susceptible to serious injury or even death? (Northpoint). With the festival
dynamic being a safe-space for exploration, it is very easy for a young adult
who is uneducated about the dangers of illicit drug consumption to dive into a
vast world of substances with potentially fatal side effects if not monitored
properly.

As prohibited drugs are circulated
through the festival day, they risk being adulterated when exchanged from
person to person. If festival participants blindly purchase unauthorized
contraband from unknown dealers, they are highly susceptible to laced products.
Laced contraband contains a mix of other illegal substances or a more toxic
product in place of a drug in its pure form. As drugs are being trafficked
throughout the duration of a festival, opioids like Fentanyl, an opioid
roughly 50 times stronger and more toxic than heroin,? are linked to overdose
deaths (Nelson 2). Fentanyl, a substance that only takes three milligrams? to
be fatal, has been found in numerous substances distributed on festival grounds
(Dunn).

Heat-related illnesses also pose a
risk to young people as they fend off drug-related side effects and struggle to
keep cool. Outdoor music festivals that are set in 90-degree weather often make
for long days in extreme heat. Without ready access to water or ? shady chill
out? areas, many young adults purchase alcohol, which heightens the
side-effects if paired with drugs? (Ralston 2). Bonnaroo, a music and arts
festival based in Tennessee, recently reported the death of 32-year-old Michael
Donivan Cradock Jr, who died due to an accidental overdose on drugs combined
with heat exhaustion. Reports show that during the 2018 festival, dozens of
people were treated for heat-related issues?. The death was the 13th in the
festival?s 17-year history? (Associated Press 1). Recreational drug use at
music festivals is not new, but many attendees are not informed about the
effects of these drugs, or about the safety measures they need to take if
someone is experiencing an overdose. Young adults who engage in these
activities often underestimate the potency and side effects of these
substances, gambling their health and mental state of being for a temporary
thrill that could be fatal.

When it comes to the regulation of contraband,
festivals have enabled strict policies in order to control the invasion of these
substances. Festival orchestrators have implemented many detailed procedures in
order to fight this war on drugs,? but it is questionable if the efforts are
working. Combating banned drugs within festival grounds starts with policies
listed under the festival rules and information. Some festivals sites like
Coachella only briefly mention illicit drug circulation. Others, like Burning
Man, provide a full webpage on illegal substances and drug paraphernalia restrictions.
Entrance searches are a typical procedure, where security uses check-ins,
check-outs, credentialing, the searches, and the overall general flow? to help
with the all-around safety of festival spaces (Carreon 1). During check-ins,
patrons are subject to pat-downs and bag searches, efforts that are considered
somewhat minimal as technology to conceal illegal drugs has become more
advanced over the years. Once inside the festival grounds, police presence is
strong, with undercover cops stalking the area and ?[using] sniffer dogs [that]
might lead to body searches? (O?Loughlin 3). Recently, a few festivals have
even practiced strip searching, forcing naked individuals to squat over mirrors.
It has been reported that high level policing can cause people to panic and
take their drugs all at once,? which can heighten the chance of overdose for an
individual (O?Loughlin 1). The increase of heavy police force and stricter protocols
has led to regulations that emphasize humiliation instead of understanding, and
this neglects the people’s need for drug education.

Along with individual festival
protocols, the government has also taken steps in order to combat the illicit
substance issue at modern festival sites. As the fight against prohibited
substances has remained a pressing issue, a contentious piece of legislation
was introduced as a way to take action against the ecstasy epidemic? in the
early 2000s: The Reducing Americans? Vulnerability to Ecstasy (RAVE) Act.  Although the bill was aimed at tackling all
aspects of illegal drugs, authorities deemed it too vague because it did
not specify how it would be determined that nightclubs or other venues were fostering
illegal drug use? (Sgalbazzini 2). The act affects every aspect of how
festivals run their events, even the sale of commonplace items such as
lollipops and water bottles (which can be signs of illegal drug encouragement).
It also gives authorities the power to fine a company with a hefty fee or even
prosecute it for knowingly and intentionally profiting? from drug use.  (Sgalbazzini) The bill failed to get passed
twice until it was restructured under the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act
of 2003, although critics still consider the law to be a barrier to proper drug
safety methods and education.

Although festival owners and
government sanctions have tried to regulate the circulation of illicit drugs,
efforts to reduce drug usage have not been an overwhelming success. Progress toward
educating the masses has been hindered greatly by policies like the RAVE Act, which
threaten to penalize festivals that take initiatives towards drug education because
hosting them is akin to raising a massive sign that reads There Are Drugs At
Our Events And We Are Aware Of It?, which in turn puts them under greater
scrutiny and at risk of a shutdown, fines and even arrest? (Sgalbazzini 2).
Harm reduction proposes a gray area for festival promoters, as they are
reluctant to utilize these programs because if they promote harm-reduction
programs, they appear to be promoting the use of drugs. Festival organizers are
faced with two options: fall in line with government demands and draw back on
consumer education on drugs by completely eradicating usage, or understand the
nature of festival culture and offer means of support and education to
festival-goers. Although the process towards complete drug elimination is
deemed the most compliant way to reach a solution, it is ineffective in the
illegal drug campaign, [which is] often times touted as one of the causes for
the lack of drug safety in today?s electronic music scene? (Sgalbazzini 1). Festival
participants are going to continue to make drugs part of their music
experience, thus the more effective approach is for festival owners to redirect
their efforts towards harm-reduction processes and push back on government
control, for the overall safety of the people.

The focus on detecting and punishing
drug transportation rather than acknowledging that festival enthusiasts will
participate in recreational drug use is a major reason why regulation methods
are failing. No matter what strong policy is put in place, festival attendees
will still make an effort to purchase and supply illicit drugs: For example,
given police presence, purchasing of drugs increased significantly on festival
ground? (Hughes 4). If a drug task force is present, it will make festival
participants rethink possessing drugs while entering a festival, but it does
not sway them from purchasing on site. Numerous forums online are even
dedicated to topics from things like how to sneak drugs into festivals to how
to trust a dealer. The heavy-handed approach of task forces attempting to
completely shut out drugs is counterproductive and outdated. The reality of
contemporary festivals today is that a strategy needs to be set that
recognises some people will take drugs and provides programs to minimize the
harm involved? (O?Loughlin 3). The policies created to counter illicit drug use
on festivals grounds use fear tactics against attendants, whereas
harm-reduction steps would serve as a guide for safe drug use and limitation of
fatalities.

Harm-reduction implementation is as
an umbrella term for multiple strategies to reduce the risks of drug abuse at
contemporary music festivals. Major organizations that advocate harm-reduction
strategies are third-party organizations such as DanceSafe, Bunk Police, and
the Zendo Project, programs that provide educational and environmental
services at festivals in an effort to limit negative and fatal drug
interactions? (InspireMalibu 2018). These organizations are able to provide a range
of services, one being pill and drug testing kits, which allow the user to see
the primary composition of the drug? (InspireMalibu). Pill and drug testing
kits allow individuals to see what they are potentially ingesting when
purchasing illicit substances for consumption. These programs usually have
venue space within the festival grounds and are also able to provide other
services, including hydration stations to help assist dehydration; safe sex
paraphernalia, and workers who are able to talk to and educate festival
attendees on safe drug practices and what to do in emergency situations. The
Zendo Project focuses on psychedelic harm reduction and provides safe and
supportive environments during difficult psychedelic and psychological
experiences.? By providing chill-out tents? for individuals who have had bad
trips, they allow such individuals to be in a supportive environment with
trained harm reduction members who can talk them through their trip experience
and provide medical services if need be.

When it comes to harm reduction
programming, the strategies and procedures that have been implemented have garnered
positive feedback from festival attendees that were exposed to these drug
awareness methods. In contrast, the detect and punish approach with a heavy
police presence has come with a great social cost, and most ironically,
increases the potential for harm for those people who use drugs [by] framing
drug use around stigma, criminalisation, fear, shame, and furtiveness?
(O?Loughlin 2). Other approaches offer a judgment-free zone where individuals
can seek education on drugs in a welcoming environment, making harm-reduction
venues an approachable addition to the festival scene. When an effective harm
reduction system where open dialogue about drug use is in place, it allows festival
participants to feel at ease when being educated on drug use instead of being
reprimanded and ridiculed by authorities. According to a cross-sectional study
on illicit drug use, data show that A large proportion of participants
believed somewhat? or a lot? that drug checking services could help users
seek help to reduce harm (86.5%), and that drug checking services should be
combined with harm reduction advice (84.9%)? (Day 3). With a positive public
response, harm-reduction programs can change the total drug elimination
conversation and transform festivals into safe spaces that promote education
and safety.

Harm-reduction programs provide
benefits when it comes to providing festival attendees with educational illicit
drug consumption resources. By changing the festival dialogue of total drug
exclusion, festival organizers can create a safe, open-arms environment to
welcome attendees who want to be educated on illicit drug consumption side
effects and how to keep themselves and other attendees safe. In order to change
the idea that harm-reduction venues and festivals promote drug abuse, it is
essential to frame legislation around the safety of the people, rather than the
banning of illicit substances. Since prohibited drugs will forever be a part of
the festival culture, it is critical that future legislation allow third-party
organizations to serve festival attendees in order to keep them in the know
about substance abuse and provide medical care without interference. From
there, festivals can invite more harm-reduction organizations to cater to the
needs of their audience. Contemporary music festivals should remain a safe
space for exploration and creativity, and festival fans should stay alert,
aware, and educated in the process. With the help of harm-reduction programs,
drug use can still be addressed in an educational manner while festival
attendees continue their quest for memories and experiences.

Works Cited

Works Cited

Associated Press. “Autopsy Results Shows Bonnaroo Death Was Caused By Drug Overdose.” Billboard, Billboard, 1 Aug. 2018, www.billboard.com/articles/news/festivals/8468196/bonnaroo-death-drug-overdose-autopsy-results.

Carreon, Mary. “Coachella Sets The Standard Of Security In High Risk Festival Environment.” OC Weekly, 16 Apr. 2018, ocweekly.com/coachella-sets-the-standard-of-security-in-high-risk-festival-environment-2/.

“Coachella, Drug Use and Why Music Festivals Are Breeding Ground for Overdose.” America’s Rehab Campuses, 20 July 2018, www.americasrehabcampuses.com/blog/coachella-drug-use-and-why-music-festivals-are-breeding-ground-for-overdose/.

Dunn, Adrienne. “A New Wave Is Hitting Festivals: Fentanyl.” The Arizona State Press, 3 Oct. 2018, www.statepress.com/article/2018/10/spcommunity-common-festival-drugs-are-being-laced-and-taking-lives.

Franciotti, Kevin. “Why More of Us Are Going to Trippy Festivals.” Vice, Vice, 3 Dec. 2018, www.vice.com/en_us/article/qvqv4p/the-steady-rise-of-the-trippy-festival-v25n4.

Hughes, C E, et al. “The Deterrent Effects of Australian Street-Level Drug Law Enforcement on Illicit Drug Offending at Outdoor Music Festivals.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28131615.

Kwai, Isabella. “Are Music Festivals to Blame for Overdose Deaths?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Sept. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/world/australia/defqon-drugs-overdose-policy.html.

Malibu. “The Latest Trend In Music Festival Drug Safety.” Inspire Malibu, Publisher Name Inspire MalibuPublisher Logo, 30 Aug. 2018, www.inspiremalibu.com/blog/drug-addiction/the-latest-trend-in-musical-festival-drug-safety/.

Nelson, Alexandra. “Government Considering Law Change Allowing Drug Testing at Festivals.” Newshub, 13 Oct. 2018, www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/10/government-considering-law-change-allowing-drug-testing-at-festivals.html.

O’Loughlin, Bill. “If We Want to Stop Drug-Related Deaths at Festivals, We Need a New Strategy” | Bill O’Loughlin.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Dec. 2015, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/01/if-we-want-to-stop-drug-related-deaths-at-festivals-we-need-a-new-strategy.

Ralston, Meghan. “Drugs Happen: Getting Real About Music Festivals.” Drug Policy Alliance, www.drugpolicy.org/blog/drugs-happen-getting-real-about-music-festivals.

Sgalbazzini, Marco. “The Secret Garden Party Proves That Festival Drug-Testing Services Are A MUST.” 6AM, 6AM Http://Www.6am-Group.com/Wp-Content/Uploads/2017/02/6AM-Basic-Black.png, 25 July 2016, www.6am-group.com/secret-garden-party-proves-that-festival-drug-testing-services-are-a-must.

Weiss, Suzannah. “If Festivals Want to Reduce Drug Use, They Should Change Their Schedules.” Tonic, Tonic, 26 July 2018, tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/vbj3g9/music-festivals-schedule-drug-use.

Paper Prompt

English 110–Sections 11, 37, 47

University of Delaware

Research Essay Assignment[1]

Purpose:

This assignment is our last project of the semester, and you will work on it for the entire second half of our course. It provides an opportunity to apply the skills you have been developing thus far in your critical response and narrative essays towards the end of your own researched intervention.

Assignment Description:

Write a research essay on a topic of your choosing. It can be any topic so long as it is researchable, arguable and significant. “Researchable” means that the essay should be driven by a question whose answer requires an investigation of outside sources. “Arguable” does not mean that you should take a side on something, as in a debate; this will make for an over-simplified essay. “Arguable” means that the central thesis of the essay will not be immediately evident to a reader, but rather requires you to convince a reader of its validity through your essay and the way you present your evidence. “Significant” means that it has relevance to its audience (in this case, your peers at UD as well as those in the academic conversation it is entering into). The strongest papers are those that which investigate something that hasn’t been discussed much, or isn’t (at least at first) a “hot-button” topic.

The research paper should contribute to the academic discussion taking place about this topic. The paper should engage with the work of other writers, and should inject some new knowledge or insight into the conversation. This is arguably the most important element in the paper?the finished product should avoid simply re-packaging the work of other writers. To do this, I recommend the paper answer two series of questions:

1. What don’t we yet understand about this topic? Where is there a gap in our knowledge, or a space in which the conversation is lacking information
2. How will this paper fill that gap? What is the value of doing so?You can think of the essay as making a contribution to a specific field. To help facilitate this entry into the conversation, the essay should engage with at least six outside sources. Finally, while this essay should intervene in a specific academic conversation, you will want to write it in such a way that an unspecialized academic audience of your peers can still access what you are writing about. Think of yourself as an academic writing for a popular medium, like The New York Times Magazine. 8-10 pages MLA Style/Formatting Times New Roman 12 point font Double-spaced Submitted online to class research paper website This assignment will be due in stages. They are listed below. Information about them will be found on CANVAS–>Files–>Assignments and Rubrics, as well as in CANVAS–>Assignments. The writing produced at each stage will count as a Process Writing. See Syllabus for evaluation of Process Writings. Each piece of writing will receive feedback either from me, or from your peers. If you miss an in-class peer-review session or a meeting with me, you are responsible for going to the Writing Center to get your writing workshopped or you will receive a “0” for that stage of the assignment.
3. Research Proposal and Plan–Due Sunday October 21 at midnight (Post to CANVAS and bring a copy to your conference with me. On the computer is OK)
4. Source Conversation –Due Monday, November 2 by your class meeting time (Post to CANVAS and bring 2 hard copies to class for peer review)
5. DRAFT ONE (First 2 pages + Road Map) — Due Friday, November 16 by your class meeting time (Post to CANVAS and bring 2 hard copies to class for peer review)   
6. Plan For Finishing Research Paper–Due Monday, November 26 (Post to CANVAS and bring a copy to your meeting with me)
7. DRAFT TWO (4-5 pages minimum)–Due Friday, November 30 by your class meeting time (Post to CANVAS and bring 2 hard copies to class for peer review) 
8. Class Presentation (Five minutes)–Due week of December 3-7 (Sign up forthcoming)
9. Final Research Paper– Due December 10 by midnight. (Post essay online to final assignment website)    

[1] This Research Assignment Prompt was adapted from Andrew Ross’s Research Assignment Prompt.