You go, Canada!
Nova Scotia’s Evolve Festival begins this weekend, and festival promoters are taking attendee safety into their own hands in a big way. Organizers will begin testing mind enhancers on Friday to let attendees know if what they purchased is what they really want to be taking.
Organizations like Bunk Police and DanceSafe already do this in the US, but what sets Evolve apart is the fact that the festival organizers themselves are doing this, not any third party organization. This puts Evolve at a much greater risk for liability if they were to mislabel any sample, and cause the death or harm of any attendee. However, we believe that if Evolve is willing to accept that liability, then more power to them.
Something like this could never be done in the US while the RAVE Act is still in effect. However, Canada does not have such a dated and ridiculous law, and is much more free to care for their citizens in ways that benefit them, rather than scare them.
I’m sure you all remember the tongue-in-cheek PSA from Toronto on knowing what you buy, but festivals like Shambhala also do their own testing on site, and offer amnesty boxes for you to throw out what you don’t want without any fear of repercussion.
The US is seriously lagging on harm reduction and safety in favor of financial and legal security for festivals. It’s about time that the “headliners” really come first.
H/T All Access
