Summary: Harm reduction advocates including Shannon Clare Petitt of the Zendo Project speak on a panel during the 2015 International Drug Policy Reform Conference about the most effective ways that event organizers and the public can reduce the risks of recreational drug use at events.
Originally appearing here.
Event producers are in a tough spot: always trying to balance demands for “zero-tolerance” and “drug free” events while doing what they can to reduce potential harms among attendees who are determined to use drugs. In the electronic music scene particularly, is the scale finally tipping away from overzealous enforcement and toward practical harm reduction approaches? How are festivals starting to integrate drug education and onsite harm reduction services to keep their attendees safe? What challenges and limitations still remain? Would a national effort to reform the federal RAVE Act clear the path?Â
Moderator:
Stefanie Jones, Nightlife Community Engagement Manager, Drug Policy Alliance, New York, NY
Speakers:
• Kate Becker, Director, Office of Film and Music, Seattle, WA
• Dede Flemming, M.B.A., Co-Founder, The Do Lab, Los Angeles, CA
• Dede Goldsmith, Founder, Amend the RAVE Act Campaign, Abingdon, VA
• Mark Lawrence, CEO, Association for Electronic Music, Brighton, UK
• Shannon Clare Petitt, M.A., Zendo Project Coordinator, Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), San Diego, CA
• Missi Wooldridge, M.P.H., Executive Director, DanceSafe, Denver, CO
Thank you to the Drug Policy Alliance (http://drugpolicy.org) for hosting the International Drug Policy Reform Conference (http://reformconference.org).
