Music festival organiser proposes testing drugs before attendees use them

One of the UK’s largest music festival organisers has plans to allow festivalgoers to test their drugs at the site before they use them. This unconventional scheme is designed to reduce drug-related deaths.

Festival Republic Head Melvin Benn is looking for support from the West Yorkshire police and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) before he launches the scheme at the Leeds festival.

Under the proposed scheme, festivalgoers would bring their drugs to a tent for testing by the Loop, a non-profit drug-testing organisation. The Loop would then inform them of the drug’s contents before destroying what they submitted for testing.

Benn is “pretty certain” that Festival Republic will use the scheme at the Leeds festival this year. He said that they talked about it last summer, and he made the decision that unless the NPCC supports the principle, it is hard to move forward.

West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Andy Battle, who is responsible for police operations at Leeds, said that they were “looking at the possibility of supporting the festival’s organisers.”

He added that they cannot condone the use of illegal drugs, but they recognise that certain people will continue to use them, and it is necessary to adapt their approach in the interests of public safety.

NPCC Lead for Drugs Commander Simon Bray expressed caution, saying that they cannot support any initiatives that do not comply with the law or that have negative consequences. All proposals would have to be considered by the police, the local authority and the health services with a view on its legal, scientific and health implications.