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Virtual Raves & Drug Usage

New Study Links People Attending “Virtual Raves” and Unsafe Use of Drugs

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With festivals, nightclubs, warehouse parties and raves on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many have turned to “virtual raves” to satisfy their party needs, often choosing to consume drugs at home, even in front of a webcam.

On top of featuring live streams, these “virtual raves” often consist of friends joining video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and Skype to connect with friends and others while simultaneously watching a live stream of DJs performing during “happy hours” or later at night, replacing traditional nightlife experiences.

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Home Offices Announces That UK Government Will Not Interfere With Drug Testing at Festivals and Clubs

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Great news coming out of the United Kingdom, with the Home Office stating that it wouldn’t “stand in the way” of drug testing at clubs and festivals.

The decision comes after calls from experts and campaigners for music events to provide the all-too-important service following two deaths and 13 hospitalizations at Hampshire’s Mutiny festival.

Although statistics show that drug usage itself is not increasing, eleven people have died at UK festivals in the last two years, indicating that the illegal substances itself have a higher level of toxicity and may be used without knowledge of what they actually are.

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Insomniac Brings Back On-Site Drug Education For First Time in 10 Years

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Escape Insomniac

Insomniac, the Unites States’ largest electronic dance music promoter and event organizer, has announced an exciting new partnership with the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA).

Beginning this weekend at Escape: Psycho Circus in San Bernardino, about an hour east of Los Angeles, the collaboration will see on-site drug informational material being passed out to festival attendees in an effort to educate on the subject of mind-altering substances, sex and mental health.

Called ‘Project: #OpenTalk’, the initiative will provide unbiased information with the purpose of beginning and continuing an open dialogue that aims to reduce the number of drug-related health incidents and deaths. This is the first time Insomniac works closely with an advocacy group of this type in the last 10 years, likely prompted to do so by the increased scrutiny into festival-related hospitalization and deaths.

“While Insomniac still has a zero tolerance drug policy and conducts entry searches, they at least acknowledge that more needs to be done to keep their attendees informed and safe,” said Stefanie Jones of DPA’s Safer Partying campaign explained in an official statement.

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Connect with Drug Policy Alliance: Online | Facebook | Twitter

Buenos Aires is Shutting Down Electronic Music in the Entire City

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Last year's Time Warp AR. Photo courtesy of AdĂĄn Jones

Last year’s Time Warp AR. Photo courtesy of AdĂĄn Jones

Following the tragedy of five deaths at Time Warp Argentina in Buenos Aires, the city’s municipal judge Roberto AndrĂ©s Gallardo has ordered the closure of all nightclubs in the entire city as the first step of an intended reform to cease “all commercial activity involving dancing with live or recorded music.”

The attack on electronic music as a community is evident. The closure of all clubs in the city, regardless of genre of music played, is intended as the first step toward first figuring out which of these venues play electronic music. It is reported that once the thorough investigation is done, only clubs playing electronic music will be forced to shut down, and will remain closed until specific laws are passed to curb drug usage at electronic music events.

Understandably, club owners in the city are not happy. Jorge Becco, the head of the Buenos Aires chamber of discotheque owners, went so far as to question the legality of Gallardo’s actions, “How do you obey a totally unconstitutional order like this one? It’s like shutting the vegetable store because you found food poisoning at the butcher shop.” The sentiment is shared by many of electronic music fans who have taken to Reddit and Facebook to voice their frustration and anger.

The latest move by the city comes after Federal Judge Sebastian Casanello targeted Dell Producciones, the local production and promotion company behind Time Warp. Several of DP’s management and staff have already been detained for questioning including DP attorney Maximilliano Avila and Carlos Maria Garat, the man in charge of the venue’s evacuation plan. The head of the company, Adrian Conci, is being held responsible by authorities for the five deaths at the annual festival and was last reported as still being wanted by the local police.

While it is totally correct for the city’s judiciary and police forces to want to prevent another incident of this kind from ever happening, the targeted closure of all electronic music nightclubs in the city appears to be a narrow-minded approach that doesn’t itself target the real reasons behind the tragedy. Reuters is reporting that several nightclub owners will refuse to follow judge Gallardo’s orders to close down, as they believe it is unconstitutional and inherently illegal.

Source: Reuters