Alcohol, MDMA, and cocaine most popular drugs used by Irish festival-goers, report shows
The Trinity College Dublin research is providing vital evidence to underpin new government approaches to harm reduction for drug use at music festivals.
Alcohol, MDMA powder/crystals, ecstasy pills, and cocaine were the highest reported drugs used by Irish festival-goers, a new report shows.
Almost 90% of the study participants reported taking multiple different drugs at the same time.
The Trinity College Dublin researchers also found that the use of drugs was associated with further potentially risky behaviour with four in 10, or almost 500 people, reported having had sex following the use of a drug at a festival; and of those, two-thirds said that the sex was unprotected.
Overwhelmingly, participants reported a willingness to engage with drug-checking services, including the use of amnesty bins.
A total of 1,193 Irish festival-goers were surveyed during the 2019 festival season from June to October. The survey was promoted and targeted through online and social media platforms and outlets.
Researchers in the Neurobehavioural Addiction Group, at the School of Medicine, led by Professor Jo-Hanna Ivers, in collaboration with the HSE’s National Clinical Lead of the Addiction Services, Dr Eamon Keenan, examined drug use and related harm-reduction practices and attitudes towards utilisation of drug safety testing services.
The research gives a valuable insight into the attitudes and behaviours of a high-risk and under-consulted population and sought to explore the evidence for drug-checking services as a harm-reduction intervention.
Drug-checking services enable the drug user to have their drugs chemically analysed, as well as providing information on the content of the samples.
The research is providing vital evidence to underpin new government approaches to harm reduction for drug use at music festivals.
Speaking about the overall impact of research, Professor Ivers said: ”This work will directly impact public health policy towards drug use at festivals and in the broader ‘night-time economy’ and will result in funding for services in 2022.
“This investment in resources will produce significant health benefits for a cohort of people who do not access traditional treatment services, and is ground-breaking for Ireland.”
Harm-reduction initiatives and drug welfare are becoming the mainstream at festivals in many European countries, and there have been similar initiatives in Ireland.
However, there is no data on the prevalence of drug use and the harm-reduction practices in Irish festival-goers.
Drug-checking services enable the drug user to have their drugs chemically analysed, as well as providing information on the content of the samples.
Advice, and in some cases, counselling or brief interventions, may also be provided.
