Drug policing down under: An investigation of panic consumption, internal concealment and the use of drug amnesty bins among a sample of Australian festivalgoers
July 2022
Citation:
Grigg, J, Barratt, M.J, Lenton, S. Drug policing down under: An investigation of panic consumption, internal concealment and the use of drug amnesty bins among a sample of Australian festivalgoers. International Journal of Drug Policy. Vol. 106, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103769
The use of drug detection dogs and other punitive policing methods remain common at music festivals, despite concern about iatrogenic effects and recommendations for their overhaul. While drug amnesty bins are a commonly implemented strategy purported to mitigate risk associated with policing, the efficacy of this intervention is debated.
Findings from this study, which included qualitative interviews with key informants and festivalgoers, and a quantitative online survey completed by almost 2000 Australian festivalgoers, found that about one quarter (23%) of respondents who had ever used illicit drugs at festivals reported hiding drugs internally to evade police detection and 17% reported panic consumption. When asked if they would have considered discarding their drugs into a drug amnesty bin had they been concerned about detection, less than a quarter (24%) said they definitely or probably would have.
Read the journal article here
