Calls for drug testing at Reading Festival as high-strength substances worry experts

It comes after MPs heard from drug testers who are concerned about people overdosing on high-strength substances at music festivals after the lockdown.

Tickets for Reading Festival have already sold out, after it was cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Cllr Graeme Hoskin, Reading Borough Council’s lead member for health, said testing “could have a positive role to play” in reducing the risk of serious harm and death at music festivals.

“I would be really pleased if Festival Republic could open up to this as something that could be done to protect festival goers,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s worth us sticking our heads in the sand and pretending kids aren’t going to go to music festivals and take drugs.

“There’s a lot of evidence that front-of-house drug testing can reduce the number of drug deaths and alert festival goers if what they have is not what they expected – it might be corrupted or of a greater strength.”

He added: “There’s a lot of countries introducing this kind of service at festivals and they have seen a reduction in overdoses and deaths.

“But they have also found it doesn’t encourage people to take drugs – there’s no change in people’s motivation to take drugs.”

A charity called The Loop tests drugs at nightclubs and festivals so people can find out exactly what they are taking.

Tickets for this year's Reading Festival are already sold out. Picture by Emma Sheppard.

They also share alerts on social media, whenever they find unusually high-strength drugs that could cause harm, contaminants, and psychoactive substances that have been mis-sold as other drugs.

The charity says they “would love” to test substances at Reading Festival – but have not been invited by Festival Republic, which organises the event.

Festival Republic has been approached for a response.

Festival Republic considered introducing front of house drug testing in 2017 at its Reading and Leeds festivals before backtracking on the plans following discussions with medical professionals, police forces and licensing authorities.

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In 2019, Noel Painting, Health and Safety Events Organiser at Festival Republic, told Reading Borough Council:  “We don’t like front of house testing for various reasons.

“Back of house happens, where we take the drugs off people and test them. Front of house seems to be condoning drugs.”

During a debate in Parliament this week, Professor Fiona Measham, who runs The Loop, told MPs she is “particularly concerned” about people falling ill after taking drugs at music festivals this summer.

She said: “Most people haven’t been to festivals or nightclubs for a year, so their tolerance is going to be much lower.

“We can image there’s going to be some pent up demand for partying, so we are concerned that combination of lower tolerances to drugs and a greater demand for partying could be quite problematic.”

She also raised concerns about the strength of the drugs in circulation and dealers “mis-selling” a powerful stimulant called eutylone as MDMA.

She added: “We know in Switzerland, they have tested the highest strength pills in circulation ever.

“There is over 350 milligrams of MDMA – that’s probably three or four times an adult dose.”

She told MPs there has not be a drug-related death at any of the music festivals where The Loop has tested substances.