Party safer: a study of the attitudes towards employing harm reduction techniques in large scale music events in Malta

Abstract

There is probably no developed country in the world today that does not have to face the problem of illicit drug consumption. Draconian, unidirectional, all-out wars against the problem have only yielded limited effect and the current general agreement is that such a problem is multifaceted, multi-layered and so complex that only eclectic approaches can, in reality, be effective. Conscious of this, in 1988, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) helped member states to develop internationally agreed upon practices that go beyond simply blocking drugs from entering a country. These practices focused on the treatment and rehabilitation of drug users including providing those at risk with all the opportunities to make healthier choices in their drug consumption habits. The understanding was that, minimising the effects of drug consumption should include harm reduction strategies aimed at lessening the outcomes for illicit drug users. This study is concerned with attitudes of the general public and parties particularly involved with potential drug consumers towards the introduction of harm reduction methods in the Maltese context. More specifically, it looks at the attitudes of respondents in this study about the use of amnesty bins, drug tests, hydration stations and care spaces/chill out areas in large scale music events. Quantitative data was collected through an online questionnaire with a number of close-ended questions answered by 378 respondents. The questionnaire also included an option where respondents could forward any additional comment they needed to add. Qualitative date was gathered through a number of face-to-face interviews with six individuals whose work places them in an advantageous and consequently informed position on the subject in discussion. These are, a representative of a foreign NGO engaged in encouraging harm reduction practices; a representative from a local NGO similarly closely involved with helping illicit drug consumers; a law enforcement officer who is an important member of the drug section, a festival organiser, a member of the St. John’s Ambulance and a forensic drug analyst. The findings indicate a high agreement rate with an average of over 90% among respondents of the online questionnaire in favour of introducing these and even other harm reduction practices to help drug consumers. The six interviewees were also generally in agreement with having these strategies in place. The feedback from the interviews shows that while none of the interviewees evidenced any reservations towards the introduction of hydration stations and care spaces/chill out areas in large music events, the law enforcement officer, the forensic analyst and the festival organiser were more cautious in their comments in the case of the introduction of amnesty bins and the availability of drug testing kits in such events. The study proposes a number of recommendations including further discussion and research on the subject particularly given the evident discrepancy between what the general public and those working in proximity to drug consumers seem to believe is necessary and what is currently legally permissible.