Festivals need more drug regulation

Earlier this month, 21-year-old Jonathan Reyes was pronounced dead from a drug overdose at the HARD Summer dance music festival at L.A.’s State Historic Park. In light of his death, it is time to re-examine the safety of all electronic dance music festivals.

Electronic dance music, or EDM, is very much alive and growing in popularity. Famed artists such as Ellie Goulding and Steve Aoki have even managed to find massive commercial success in a genre that, prior to the past few years, remained largely underground.

Those familiar with EDM festivals recognize that the genre’s events and drug use often go hand in hand. More popular shows celebrating the genre include Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival in Miami, which boasts hundreds of thousands of attendees.

At another incident this month during the Boomtown Fair in Hampshire, England, 18-year-old Eleanor Rowe died. Despite the ongoing toxicology reports, two people suspected of supplying the young woman with drugs were arrested soon after her death.

The most commonly used drugs at these shows include LSD, MDMA and hallucinogenic mushrooms. But what young people often don’t realize is the long-term impact that a night of dancing to their favorite DJs can have. These drugs are typically not easily accessible to young people, so many turn to distributors at shows to supply their needs. When this occurs, however, fans simply don’t know what they are getting.

Festivals and raves are usually patrolled by heavy security, but there are still those willing to take a risk with the law in order to reap financial rewards. Electric Daisy Carnival’s 2012 event drew a grand total of 300,000 people, which could mean a potential paycheck for these distributors. Dealers at EDM shows are obviously difficult to spot and almost impossible to trace in deadly cases such as Rowe’s and Reyes’.

Artists acknowledge this drug use through their own songs. Bassnectar, for example, has songs titled “Blow” and “LSD.” Popular EDM artist Pretty Lights’ best selling iTunes song is entitled “You Get High.”

So what is the solution?

Though increased security enforcement might seem obvious, that is merely a small part of the issue. The most influential step would be for these artists to encourage the use of drug-free shows and set the standard themselves. The EDM scene is only growing, so parents’ attempts to simply shut it down to achieve a solution is simply irrational.

Another rational change would be to increase medical staff at events. In many cases, such as in Eleanor Rowe’s, the medical staff can’t find victims until it is already too late for medical attention. An increase in staff would allow these attendees to be treated more quickly, minimizing the possibility of such deadly consequences.

A final step in helping control the drug use at these shows would be to ensure venue capacity is enforced. This could have been potentially life-saving in the case of Sasha Rodriguez, a 15-year-old who overdosed at EDC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2010. Rodriguez’s family has since made moves to sue the promoter, Insomniac Events. The family argues promoter Todd DeStefano tried to “bump up the event attendance beyond what was reasonable, and that the carnival was poorly staffed with security and emergency medical personnel.” EDC has since been moved to Las Vegas.

All in all, it is time to fix the music festival scene so that fans can have a pleasant experience instead of a fatal one.

Caroline Kamerschen is an undecided sophomore.

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