Nordamerika. Festival Drug Checking Services Still Too Often Sidelined
Nordamerika. Festival Drug Checking Services Still Too Often Sidelined
It’s a scorching July day in British Columbia, at Bass Coast festival, and there is no line outside the drug checking tent. I decide to bring along a sample of my 2C-B, a psychedelic stimulant also known as “tripstasy.”
Inside, two chemists examine the powder through a microscope and advise me not to take all of the dose at once, since it is entirely pure. Naturally, I take heed.
The scene at the mobile drug checking facility seems futuristic, foreshadowing the common-sense drug approaches of tomorrow. A large screen outside of the prominently placed gazebo warns ravers about high-potency or adulterated drugs which have recently been in local circulation. A chart helpfully advertises which drugs are risky to use in combination with each other. A sign impresses the importance of set, setting and dose, and invites people to ask questions. (Filter, USA, 05.09.2024)