Dr Adam Winstock: "Let clubs be honest about drug use so they can educate people and save lives"

Voices calling for honesty and pragmatism from within the music industry are rare. For many involved in the night time economy and the music industry, drugs are to be enjoyed in private, with music, but ignored in public. B. Traits is one of the few DJs who voices her support for rational harm reduction at events. Few others take the risk.

Fabric was closed down following a disproportionally high number of MDMA-related deaths. The only other thread linking these diverse tragedies were the young age of most of those who died and while MDMA deaths across the UK are rising, they are still fortunately very rare. The relationship between MDMA dose and the risk of death is inconsistent and unpredictable. While there is little doubt that higher doses place most people at greater risk of harm, it may surprise many people just how little we know about MDMA deaths. For example, on a night where someone dies, there may have been many people in the club who had taken the same drug and higher doses but been OK. But just how many lives could be saved with people using drugs more safely is not known – but I would guess at least half of all MDMA deaths are probable avoidable. Education delivered in the right way at the right time by the right people can save lives.

For those of us who have been in the field for a while it can be easy to forget that common sense harm reduction information is not always as easily available or credible as it should be, especially for younger people or people new to taking drugs. People need to know how to dose with MDMA (start low go slow, tell your mates so they know). They need to know when they will come up (15min – to over an hour), how they will feel (they might feel nauseous) and when to re-dose (not when you are peaking). They need to know that twice the dose is not twice the high – even small increases in dose can lead to very big increases in actual blood levels and can tip you into feel sick and unwell. They need to know not to take MDMA from different batches. And then there’s all the basic stuff: not drinking too much water, not getting pissed on alcohol on a pill, not mixing with other stimulants and leaving a month or more between doses. If you are reading this and nodding in agreement, then you are in the majority. But with so many people out there a minority of people is still a shit load of people who could be so much safer if they knew a few basic rules.

Data from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) makes it very clear that most people want to know how to use drugs more safely and many seek out the right information. But many others won’t be bothered to visit drug education sites like ours. That’s one reason I have been working Mixmag since 1999. Now imagine if simple, credible, information was available at venue websites and was offered without fear of prejudice, losing their licence or closure. Imagine how many millions of people could be provided with potentially lifesaving information. This year GDS is asking promoters, DJs, those in licensing and the police to think about a world where we can all be a little more honest and how everyone would win. GDS thinks police and licensing should make it a legal requirement for venues and promoters to offer harm reduction advice on their websites and ensure all staff are trained in the responsible service of alcohol and to know how to recognize and respond to drug / alcohol intoxication. GDS has loads of resources that would do the job and we’d love to help - just ask.

We should bin the term 'zero tolerance' as it’s as laughable as the war on the drugs itself. Instead we should aspire to ‘zero harm’. Even where drugs remain illegal I think a world is possible where ‘zero tolerance’ can sit along ‘maximum education’. Looking out for the health and well being of people who attend dance music events is good for everyone including the sustainability of the wider industry.

Safer drug use at venues means less use of emergency services; safer drug use at venues means less people leaving early and spending less at the bar; safer drug use at venues means happier, healthier punters who are more likely to be repeat visitors. Words don’t change practice in the real world – but profit, policy and people do.

A local area or council should accept the GDS challenge. They should work with GDS and a local club owner/promoter and let us talk about drugs on the honestly and offer harm reduction information videos. Let police, licensing and club staff attend the same GDS training course on recognising and responding to drug related risk based on training created for the Australian and UK police, which would include responsible service of alcohol. Let us survey club goers on their views about this new approach. And then let’s see what happens. I bet the world won’t fall apart but customers love the approach and take better care of themselves and their mates. I imagine local emergency services may respect the local efforts and might even see themselves less busy. If you want to talk please contact me.

If you want to help us make drug use safer for people who like to party, please add your experience to the biggest survey of drug use in the world at globaldrugsurvey.com/GDS2017