Festival season is upon us - finally - and I know what goes on at festivals because I’ve been there and done them myself - drugs. They’re part of festie season whether people want to admit it or not.
As incredible as it would be to say drugs are totally safe, we all know they’re not.
ReNewsNZ talked to The Drug Foundation earlier this year and found that 33% of drugs in NZ are “not what the user thought it was”. They're either mixed with some funky shit or were a totally different drug.
KnowYourStuff NZ, a volunteer organisation focused on reducing drug-related harm, annual drug report and also found a fair amount of drugs were not 'as advertised'.
This year they sampled over 1,600 drugs across 40 events from April 2021 - March 2022 and found that one in five samples were different to what “clients thought they were”.
That sucks - it’s not a huge amount but enough where it’s concerning. Unknowingly taking Fentanyl led to 12 deaths in Wairarapa this year and not to fearmonger but it could happen to anyone.
You should want your mates to make it kickons and the all-important, amazing, morning recap. So get your drugs tested.
KnowYourStuff will be at most festivals this year providing “free, legal, discreet drug checking”. They’re not feds, won’t snitch, and won’t take your drugs off you. They are just legends trying to ensure you have the best time possible. Make sure you utilise them.
People that have got their stuff tested by KnowYourStuff have said they’ll reuse the service again and will be smarter about their drug use.
95% of 169 respondents said they’d get their drugs tested again; 51% said they’re less likely to mix drugs; 45% said they’ll now take a smaller amount of drugs; while 20% said they’ll take drugs less often.
If you’re gonna take drugs just get them tested mate. Until they’re legal and related (which hopefully happens - drugs are winning the war on drugs) it’s the most we can do to ensure safe drug use.
