GROOVE : Uncovering the drug that tracks the music

Abstract

GROOVE sets out to uncover the most frequent club drugs used in specific clubs and party settings. This will lead to the development of a harm-reduction campaign directed towards drug users themselves in order to offer a link between the club drug subculture and the available social work services. Snowball sampling was used to identify the eight participants who took part in this qualitative research. Two club drug users were chosen from each of the following arenas of the electronic dance scene: Goa Trance, House, Techno and Trance. The necessary data was collected through short questionnaires and semi-structured interviews which were planned accordingly to ensure participants' anonymity. Some interesting patterns came out of the study, showing that a number of club drugs are highly consumed as opposed to others which were not even mentioned during the interviews. It was also noticed that the participants' level of education regarding club drugs is relatively low as their knowledge is only based on their personal experiences. In fact, the participants themselves revealed the need for further education both within their subculture, and the rest of society. The detachment between the club drug subculture and society was highly emphasised by the users who said that the same lack of education leads to their stigmatization. One conclusion that was drawn from these findings is that the GROOVE harm reduction campaign could be the initial step towards diminishing the distance between society and the club drug subculture, while offering harm reduction tips and making clubbers and party goers aware of social work services. The concept is to start social work within the subculture in order to earn club drug users' x credibility. The harm reduction procedures delineated in the 2008 Maltese National Drug Policy which are cited in the Literature Review, are completely different to what is expected by club drug users. Therefore, GROOVE will also offer a new concept of harm reduction. Another conclusion which was drawn from the study is that clubs and party venues are not adequately equipped for emergency cases related to club drug use. GROOVE proposes that a policy is to be developed to establish club and party venue standards to safeguard clubbers and party goers. The Conclusion includes an outline of proposed club and party venue standards, and a description of the proposed GROOVE harm reduction campaign.