Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jul 2015
Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2015 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact:  http://www.herald.ns.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180
Author: Evan Webster
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)

EVOLVE EXPOSES DRUG-TESTING DILEMMA

Conservative MLA says testing condones drugs; professor calls it harm reduction

In situations where recreational drug use is inevitable, should users 
be able to find out exactly what it is they're taking? Or should they 
trust they got what they paid for and hope for the best?

That's the debate surrounding the Evolve Festival in Antigonish this 
weekend. Like most large music festivals, Evolve is notorious for 
hard-core partying and heavy drug use.

Earlier this week, Evolve producer Jonas Colter announced there would 
be free drug testing available so users could test the purity of 
their stash. He said the tests would "minimize harm," and "protect 
the people" from overdosing on contaminated drugs.

The announcement stirred up a lot of controversy, so Colter's 
insurance company revoked its liability coverage for the festival. In 
order to save Evolve, Colter had to scramble to find a new insurer 
and guarantee the drug testing wouldn't be available.

He had hoped the testing would make the unavoidable reality of drug 
use at Evolve a little safer.

Conservative MLA John Lohr called the testing "ridiculous and 
dangerous" and said Colter was "promoting the use of illegal hard drugs."

"If this is allowed to continue, I fear someone could die because 
Evolve staff told them their illegal drug was OK," Lohr said in an 
email Tuesday. "Just because a hard drug is pure, in no way does that 
mean it is safe."

But Marika Warren, a bioethics professor at Dalhousie University in 
Halifax, said precautionary drug testing is a legitimate method of 
harm reduction when it comes to booze-fuelled, drug-heavy events like Evolve.

"Music festivals are what they are," she said. "I would argue that he 
(Colter) was trying to create the best possible outcome given the 
circumstances. It's about giving people the information necessary to 
make their own decisions regarding drug use. Whether or not we think 
these are good decisions is beside the point."

Amy Graves, founder of the activist organization Get Prescription 
Drugs Off the Street, lost her younger brother to an accidental 
hydromorphone overdose in 2011. She said she's disappointed 
precautionary drug testing won't be available at Evolve.

"Drug use and abuse is inevitable in our society," she said. "In 
those instances where you can't prevent drug use completely, a harm 
reduction model needs to be in place."

Graves doesn't think the drug testing would have promoted hard drug 
use at Evolve. She said it's important to inform users of the risks.

"I don't think the testing would have encouraged people to do more 
drugs, because pure heroin or pure cocaine still isn't safe," she 
said. "People are going to use drugs at Evolve no matter what.

"But if a testing system was available, then people would be able to 
find out for themselves whether or not their drugs are contaminated. 
Maybe that would stop them from taking the drug altogether. If 
there's a system in place that prevents even one person from doing 
hard drugs, then I think that's a good thing."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom