It’s the first day of the best years of your life… right?
5th November 2018
Well, for many students these are becoming some of the worst days of their lives, due to an increasing number of drug related deaths or casualties during student events. Manchester’s student union, for example, are feeling the increasing pressure felt by many other event managers to tackle this contemporary issue, explaining ‘we know some young people choose to engage in drug taking- to ignore that fact wont improve the problems’ (Abbit, 2018).
What’s the issue?
We all know that drugs are illegal and have been an increasing issue at student events, highlighted in recent media. However, this issue is actually improving itself with drug use amongst the student age group decreasing year on year. Is there any point in event managers continuing to waste precious resources on this or should they shift their attention onto issues within their venues such as alcohol and tobacco?
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The new norm?
Is it OK for drug and alcohol abuse to be accepted as just ‘part of student culture’? Freshers in particular are ending up in critical conditions following incidents at events, provoking a strong response from worried parents of students. Many have taken their cases to court over how little event venues are doing to protect their children when they start this new chapter of their lives, despite some choosing to consume drugs voluntarily. Therefore by opting for a ‘do nothing’ approach event managers risk severe legal implications as well as damage to their reputation that negative media coverage could cause.
Some student event businesses, however, have chosen to take matters into their own hands and address this taboo topic in the hope to discourage and support students, should they choose to take drugs during their events.
Taking a stand
Sheffield University recently received criticism following a controversial post on their student union website advising students how to safely take drugs, which some argued would encourage their students to partake in drug use. Others have seen this as a step forward – the university have responded to say that although they do not condone drug use, they are aware that some students will try drugs during their time at the university and believe it is important that their students are as informed as possible and encouraged to reasonable precautions.
The University of Manchester have recently launched a new initiative of drug testing kits so students can check whats in their drugs, encouraging students from not only their own university but any around the country, to have more adult conversations around drugs. Should event managers integrate a similar protocol into all events to ensure safety of attendees? Or can less be done to limit the damage on event attendee experience?
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Where does the blame lie?
Who does the responsibility of students safety in regards to drugs at events lie with? On one hand, event managers and venues may adopt a strict zero drugs policy, as suggested by the Best Bar None Scheme implemented in Scotland. This scheme even suggests extreme measures to prevent the use of drugs at event venues such as the “removal of smooth areas” in toilets. On the other hand, managers may choose to follow a more lax approach in line with the HM Government 2017 Drug Strategy to provide dedicated drug resources to reduce demand.
Although addressing drug use can be challenging for an event manager, a pragmatic approach to managing drug use can save lives. It is important for us as event managers to explore the ways in which we can provide a duty of care to our attendees without inhibiting their enjoyment, but can this happy medium be reached, to please all consumers? Or will the issue of drug misuse be an ongoing challenge that can never fully be resolved?
Investing in training… does it really pay off?
Training for event staff can be a costly investment. In terms of student events, popular venues include bars and nightclubs in which staff are advised to follow the challenge 25 scheme to reduce the chances of underage drinking, however there are no legal obligations to train staff before serving alcohol as long as they follow the guidelines set out in their venue licence. Bar staff training if provided, generally covers how to deal with over intoxicated attendees but training rarely covers drug related issues. For small businesses who have a limited training budget, training in relation to drugs may be a costly venture which they cannot afford. How much pressure should be applied to venues to provide staff with this potentially life saving training?
As an event manager, would you jeopardise student event experience in favour of a strict zero tolerance drug policy or place the responsibility on attendees and conduct a more pastoral practice?
We would love to hear what think! Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
Really interesting blog on drug use in the events industry. I’ve worked in a bars and clubs for a number of years now and at different venues it’s clear what the stance on drugs are. One venue I worked at I would say over 50% of people in the venue between 4am and 6 were taking drugs, the behaviour between these customers varied massively from aggressive to happy. This is an issue which I believe should be looked at differently for each specific venue or event, both approaches have positives and negatives but they would be more effective if used for specific events.
I agree, I don’t think there is a one size fits all solution to the problem. In bars that I’ve worked in there is a zero tolerance but you can only act on that rule if you physically see the drugs. When I was a student it was common place to see people taking drugs, despite the risks. I understand that venues have a duty of care but why should it be their responsibility when users know the risks and know that’s it’s illegal?
Thank you for your comment Hannah! But at what point is it a risk for other students at these venues who are sober? Do you think there should be a policy in place? Would love to hear your thoughts!
It’s tricky because you could ask the same question about people who drink too much being potentially dangerous to those who are sober around them. Drinking culture among students is so ingrained and drugs seems to be an evermore popular addition. I’m not sure I agree with events allowing people to test their drugs to see what they’ve bought, but I do understand there is a benefit to being that open. Otherwise you push it further underground and consequently increase risk.
I think it is clear from the evidence in the blog that alcohol is also a huge risk to students health but is a massive, and more alarmingly, legal part of events. How do you think event managers can make drugs less of an ‘underground’ issue?
Thank you for your comment Tommy! Unfortunately drug use in clubs is a big problem, what primary method do you think should be implemented to deter drug use in nightclubs?
As a parent I would like to think education is the most important thing. Arming students with as much info as they can get to make informed choices. However, there are those who have had a strict home life & possibly go a little “wild” when released and who will try whatever when the opportunity arises. Banning & searching I wouldn’t think totally effective as someone always will manage it. My feeling is that as you have to have a certain number of first aid trained people at events as part of this training could drug taking and it’s effects be included? I also am aware of some charities offering free checks on what students are thinking of taking. This is again giving a choice without a “don’t do it attitude” could some members of students union be at events having been trained by these organisations to test what is being offered. It has to be a students individual choice though.
Thank you for your comment Julie! Great feedback on getting employees trained on the testing- do you think it’s better to face that this is a problem and what can we do to help – or ban completely and get more policing involved as it is illegal? Would love to hear your thoughts!
I think we have to accept that even if banned it is still going to carry on so surely acknowledging this and having training in how to deal with it is far better than denying it is going to happen at all.
It does seem that, if the want is there then students will find a way, therefore do you think event managers and venues should be prioritising this sort of training and ensuring budgets allow for this to take place, rather than funding further security measures on entry to events?
Honestly yes. It’s hopefully a short term expense for a longer term advantage and maybe it is something that needs to be budgeted for over a few events to cover costs. At the end of the day student welfare has to be a priority whatever choices they make good or bad.
I definitely agree that student welfare should be in the forefront of event managers plans and investing in training should improve students safety at events. If student unions where to create a training guide for student event staff and venues what do you think should be included?
I’m such a long way from having any knowledge in this area, but if convicted criminals are able to get drugs into prison I’d say it’s unlikely that an events company/ bar manager could prevent them from getting into events. With that in mind a pastoral approach would have to be the way forward. Ensure this is included in the first aider training, find training for staff that includes not only dealing with drunk and disorderly patrons, but high patrons too.
For me the responsibility lies with the individual as to whether they take them or not, but I do believe there is a duty of care that outweighs the question of legality. These people become vulnerable and need to be looked after as such, rather than ‘ejecting’ them and increasing their vulnerability.
Thank you for your comment, Jane! You make a very good point, it’s a huge problem across many areas. Implementing pastoral care and appropriate first aid training makes a lot of sense. However the question is then who should fund it, the university, the venue(s) or law enforcement?
Again just making an uneducated guess, if anything were to go wrong it would be the university and the venue that receive the adverse press. Therefore would both be prepared to invest in order to protect their reputation. Are the local police and NHS able to provide the necessary training as an investment in preventing partygoers from ending up in their already stretched services?
Investment into medical training could be one way in which venues can protect the safety of their attendees from the effect of drugs, alleviating negative press and pressure on national services. But is cure better than prevention? How could universities and student unions work to prevent drugs entering events in the first place? Is this more effective than working alongside charities such as St John’s who provide medical guidelines for patients suffering from drug and alcohol overdoses?
This is a really interesting read! I personally think it is definitely a topic that should be spoke about more as it is very present in today’s society among students and young people and it seems to have been massively normalised over the last few years. It’s difficult to suggest what else venues/event managers can do to as even the places that do have strict rules in place have issues – if people want to take drugs they will! Also, if events were to put in stricter entry security it may put both drug users and non drug users off attending at all. I don’t think the majority of event managers would want to jeopardise essentially loosing business by introducing zero tolerance drug policies!
Thank you for your comment Becca! You’re right – implementing any further security measures could have a direct affect on event attendance.
But would it be worth it in the long run, if the worst case scenario did happen and the venue or event managers faced legal action following an incident involving someone in their care?
I’m such a long way from having any knowledge in this area, but if convicted criminals are able to get drugs into prison I’d say it’s unlikely that an events company/ bar manager could prevent them from getting into events. With that in mind a pastoral approach would have to be the way forward. Ensure this is included in the first aider training, find training for staff that includes not only dealing with drunk and disorderly patrons, but high patrons too.
For me the responsibility lies with the individual as to whether they take them or not, but I do believe there is a duty of care that outweighs the question of legality. These people become vulnerable and need to be looked after as such, rather than ‘ejecting’ them and increasing their vulnerability.
Thank you for your comment on our blog! It is great to hear your view that venues should adopt a pastoral approach to drugs at student events. With that in mind, do you think that training schemes for venue staff in regards to drugs should be more widely available? How could this pastoral approach be implemented across all student events?
A great blog and a topic which gives rise to a good debate. I don’t think in reality drugs can be stopped getting into events although certainly there should be some way in which searches etc should take place. I also think on that basis training should be given so that the signs of drug use are noticeable and dealt with as drunken behaviour is. However it is not for events manager to be the judge in this situation, but to be aware and have training and compassion. Responsibility in my opinion always lies with an individual in cases such as this too .
Thank you for your comments, Sue. Possibly the answer could lie in harsher laws for drug possession to prevent people who are determined to smuggle in illegal substances?
Specific training is definitely looking like the most popular solution in the responses to this blog, it is however a challenge for this to be implemented as could potentially be viewed as the clubs/event organisers either admitting there is a problem or that they are taking responsibility, when as you pointed out it is mostly down to the choices made by the individual.
If the event managers were more prepared for drug related incidents of both the physical and emotional kind, this would be a massive help to those suffering and could prevent the situation from deteriorating.
It’s a difficult topic. I think everywhere should have a strict drug policy, but I don’t think it should be the venues responsibility to check every individual. I believe people need to be made more aware of the affects drugs can have and the consequences of taking them.
Thank you for your comment Alice!
It would prove extremely difficult and time consuming at present for venues to check everybody entering their event for drugs. Perhaps there should be more research into cost effective and time efficient methods that will ensure attendee safety and not ruin the event experience?
Would you agree that universities should follow the examples set by the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester, who have taken steps to educate their students on the risks of drug use but also how to check they’re safe and minimize the harm they could do with advice on how to consume them?
This is a fantastic blog and really highlights the reality of drug taking within the student culture, which as we know is becoming increasingly problematic. I agree with the comments above, if someone is going to take drugs, they will find a way to do this despite rules and policies. So for businesses with such a large presence in the student society, it’s going to be hard to put measures in place to ensure zero tolerance to drug taking. I believe education has a big part to play. But mainly life choices, curiosity and peer pressure. Say no to drug kids!!
Thank you for sharing your views Lucie! Perhaps it is time for universities to address the taboo around drugs and educate their students directly on the risks regardless of public opinions. This precaution could particularly benefit those entering their first year, who will be the most vulnerable to the pressures of making friends and fitting in – would stopping it at the source would be the ideal solution?
I think the majority of responsibility falls in the students/ attendees lap. They chose to take drugs they should be aware of the dangers and the fallout from it. However I do think it is sensible for event managers and staff to be aware of this and know how to deal with it. If people want to take drugs then more than likely they will find a way to do so and so I think it is beneficial for everyone to have a broad knowledge of what to do and how to act in circumstances where they may be faced with people who are ‘under the influence’.
Thanks for your comment Georgia! Definitely think it is time for more people to be aware of the dangers of drugs and the taboo needs to be broken, but who should be responsible for that education? so much is done to notice alcohol abuse, should we as event managers put the same measures in place to notice and act on drug abuse?
This is great blog and an interesting topic! I think event managers and staff should be trained to spot the signs of drug abuse and especially signs of drink spiking as that is a big concern and not enough is being done to stop this at events and I know a few people who have been victims of drink spiking where staff did little to help except remove them from the venue for being too drunk? I do also agree with the other comments and think ultimately the choice will come from attendees and the students as they will find a way to get the drugs in if they want to, so informing may be the more effective method of reducing the issue for students.
Thank you for sharing your views Harriet! Drink spiking is a very serious issue that as you said more people are unfortunately facing, what measures do you think from your experience could event mangers put in place to reduce the chances of this happening?
Really interesting blog! I think mandatory training should be inforced to recognise drug use and how to ensure these people remain safe! But again, like previous comments if people are going to take drugs, there going to do it.
But by implanting health promotion strategies within freshers week and getting medical professionals to discuss the implications of abusing drugs can be very informative.
Once again, amazing blog.
Thank you for your comment Tom, we’re so glad you liked the blog! Mandatory training is definitely a method which could help deal with drug abuse in events and possibly reduce the amount of drugs getting into events, but who should pay for this? Often events are on a very tight budget and funding extra training for this issue just isn’t a priority unfortunately. Maybe because the topic is still such a taboo talking point, it is easier for event managers to ignore than other issues? Love the idea of having more informative sessions in freshers week also, but do you think students really want to hear it, or would this ultimately stop them from taking drugs if they were in a situation to do so?Would love to hear your thoughts.
Its a very difficult topic to discuss and come to a solid conclusion regarding the best approach. A solution that would best suit the clubs/bars/events might not have the guests best interests at heart. However educating on ‘how to take drugs’ and making it more accessible probably won’t sit well with the parents and there will always be someone who takes it too far or has an adverse reaction to substance – whereas that could of been avoided by banning and discouraging substance at the event altogether.
The management of substance use will probably have to vary event to event depending on the venue, guest demographic, staff training/availability, and the risk of harm. With these factors taken into account the most appropriate plan can be drawn.
In regards to alcohol, staff denying service when someone is ‘intoxicated’ is a very subjective way of monitoring consumption, and some may not feel confident to call someone out or refusing service. With this in mind how are staff expected to determine if someone is ‘too high’ to be drinking or even present at the event?
With alcohol, many learn their limits by that one time they get too drunk and swear to never do it again – however with drugs there’s much more risk of serious harm or death from an adverse reaction, and very little knowledge of what is in the drug they’re taking, compared to an alcohol bottle which is very clearly labelled. How can anyone take responsibility for a death or illness caused by substance at an event where the drugs where ‘monitored’ or educated on?
Personally, I heard one too many horror story’s of death by drugs and that was enough to put me off for life, I’ve never tried them and have no intention to. Maybe it would be beneficial to work out why people are taking drugs, is it to impress? They genuinely need them to have a good time? Or peer pressure? If it can be established why people are taking drugs then it may the route to controlling the substance abuse at events
Thank you for your comment! You raise some brilliant arguments there and some very tricky issues that event managers face! Don’t you think by not educating and informing students about drugs and the dangers of taking them, we are just burying the issue further underground and making it potentially more dangerous for event managers to address? Also in order to understand why people are taking them, the conversation has to be more open and not such a taboo surely? This definitely would help to address the issue at events if managers could understand why their attendees feel they need the use of drugs to have a good time, any suggestions how this could be done? As you’ve said, identifying whether someone is too drunk is a very hard job anyway, is it too subjective and too much responsibility to put on event staff to also have to notice and deal with attendees who are potentially on drugs? If so, who should be there to handle these attendees, medical teams? one specific event manager? law enforcement? would love to hear your thoughts!
This is an interesting read! I completely agree, drugs within the student culture is a huge problem. Ultimately if an individual makes the decision to take an illegal substance the responsibility lies with them as they should be aware of the risks. However I do agree that it is a huge problem for event/venue managers and Student Unions around the UK because unfortunately if someone does die from drug use the public and media will ultimately look at the organisation or university that hosted the event and ask how this was allowed to happen?
It’s a tricky subject, like suggested in the comments – bar staff especially should be able to spot drinks being spiked as that is also a problem but I do think it very hard to manage as a whole! You could drug test and body search every individual entering the event but this all has an effect on the experience and ruins the enjoyment of sober attendees like you said.
Thank you for your comment Sofia. Definitely agree, the damaging effect from one bad incident could be disastrous for a venue or event manager, so they surely cant continue to ignore the issue all together like some do now? You also make very valid points about bar and staff training to notice signs of abuse, but then who is responsible for funding this? Do you think event managers should legally have to find money from budgets to implement training programmes? would love to hear your thoughts!
I think this blog is very useful and informing especially for students my age. Many people I know are having their first year at university this year and I’m sure reading this blog would really help them to understand and be aware of the consequences and risks of taking drugs while out at events and clubs
Thanks for your comment Ashley! Really glad you found the blog informative! Do you think that informing students of the dangers of drugs during uni or even earlier, rather than training event staff or putting extra security measures in place would be more effective way to address the problem therefore?
Yes definitely! I think it is so important for students to know the dangers and risk beforehand but also clubs taking measures aswell as informing students and young adults at university or people thinking or university
If you were informed about the issue in college/university would you feel safer going into a club or event environment?
As sad as it is, drug taking seems to be quite common place as students can feel as if it’s the ‘thing’ to do. For the Universities educating on drug taking, at least the students who feel like they may have no choice in drug taking, will at least protect their lives and make more of an informed decision.
Thanks for your comment Sian! It definitely is a growing issue, one we feel really can’t be ignored any longer, the question is -who’s shoulders should the responsibility of educating fall on, by the time they get to university do students really want/would they listen to more PSHE style lessons like they had back in school? Or should they be left to find out for themselves as some others have suggested and risk the potentially lethal consequences? Would love to hear your further thoughts.
As a former university student myself and a current project coordinator this blog is really helpful from looking at it on both sides of the argument, I agree that on some level it is each individual student’s responsibility and their freedom would obviously be impacted massively if there was searches etc carried out at these student events but I can also see it as a coordinator’s point of view as the level of safety for each person is under your event, really good blog guys super informative’
Thanks for commenting Jacob, we’re so glad you found he blog informative! It really is a tricky debate! Do you worry about the negative effect on attendee experience having an increased security would potentially pose? Any ideas or suggestions of what event managers or venues could do to protect themselves without ruining the experience for attendees?
I think there is definitely a certain “acceptance” of alcohol overindulgence as opposed to drug use – you only have to enter a bar, pub or student union and see the 2 4 1 offers/happy hour/5 shots for X amount to see that excessive drinking is not only made more affordable but encouraged at some venues. I don’t see this culture changing in the near future as it is so strongly ingrained into the “student” experience. I also agree with the comments that you will never stop drugs being used at events and whilst I think that ultimately the responsibility lies with the individual, the event has a duty of care to ensure the safety of their customers. Many stories in the media tell the tale of students being thrown out of an event due to being too drunk/high and basically being left to their own devices to find a safe way home, only for them to sadly never make it home at all. This I think has to be addressed, and ensuring the safety of the customer has to be made a priority. It’s certainly a topic that needs to be discussed and addressed.
Thank you for your comment Julie! That’s some really good points and you are correct the over indulgence of alcohol is just accepted as normal in student life and almost encouraged yet few are talking about the rising drug problem- Do you think students should be given more information as they embark on their university life about the potential risks of drug use or is it more as you say about protecting the students in events if they choose to take the drugs, many venues as you say just remove attendees to presumably remove responsibility from themselves?
Really interesting blog regarding drug use at events. To be honest, if people really want to take drugs into events, I’m sure no matter how strict the regulations they will still get them in somehow. Students nowadays are more than aware of the risks of taking drugs, there are anti-drug advertisements everywhere but people still do it because they want to fit in with their peers. It’s something that does have an effect on events managers and venues, as if/when something bad happens that is drug related, it is automatically their fault because they have allowed this on their premises. However, unless every single attendee is thoroughly searched upon their entrance, how are event managers/venues supposed to control this?
Thank you for such a thought provoking comment Hannah! I agree that there are students that will still take drugs despite information on the risks and when this goes wrong it can negatively impact a venue. How do you think that a drug search upon entrance to an event would affect a student’s experience? Is it worth it to protect students safety at events?
I don’t believe that drug searching everyone is the answer purely because of the time/staff constraints. People may get angry about it either because they have drugs and now have no where to hide them or because they are having to wait even longer to get into the venue – drug searching every single person would likely take a very long time. This could cause people to go elsewhere and not attend the event at all or damage their experience because they have had to wait so long to get into the venue. Alternatively, it could be done like an airport check? Whereby random people are searched and not every person. This would limit people risking taking anything to the event and also minimise the queuing issue.
One to think about
As someone who works along side pub watch and bestbar none,this has to be the way to go.
All pubs and clubs with the same guidelines and measured at a good standard.
All clubs and bars meet at pub watch which gives all a chance to talk about these issues and collectively come up with ideas together.
Thank you very much for your comment Annette, it is great to hear from someone in the industry whom this problem affects. What do you think student unions could take from schemes such as Best Bar None to address and manage the issue of drugs at student events?
I believe that the student union could play a big role in best bar none.
Providing assessors for the industry and helping those pubs and clubs around the area have the same procedure and training. Pub watch is a great place to high light the issues and as a team work through the issues. This could be looking at a scheme to remove those know in dealing drugs. Having cctv and radio links from venue to venue. This stops it being one club/pub issue,but the whole town. The pub feels supported and a night time community,working to the same goals.
Students and student union has to see this is a safe way of looking after each other.
Thank you for your further contribution to the discussion Annette! I think that the idea of universities and event venues working together is the best way to tackle the issue. Using industry assessors and schemes such as best bar none and pub watch will allow student events to follow guidelines and share common problems. Communication is always key when dealing with larger issues affecting a whole community of people, which in this case is the student population. If event venues, universities and student unions where to work collaboratively then they could seek to find a more effective and standardised approach to dealing with drugs at student events. In your experience has the use of these schemes and assessors in local event venues led to the decline in drug use or other difficult issues?
The assessors will make sure that all the staff are trained and know all the policy that are in place .. very similar to a nvq. Without proof of the policy and that staff know them,the pub/ club will not get it’s best bar none accredition.
The assessors will support and guide the pubs and clubs to gain the award
The pub/club will only then be able to display the best bar none logo
Having no real experience of this, it is difficult to comment, however, it is doubtful that zero tolerance will work, on the basis that unless all venues adopt it (unlikely) then the best way to deal with it is to manage it. Training staff to spot signs of people in distress and what they can positively do to help would be a starting point. Maybe SUs could work alongside specialist charities to help them?
Thank you for your comment John, you share an interesting view on how managers should deal with drugs at student events, following on from your comment about zero tolerance failing to work, what do you think about a potential government scheme to enforce it?
Really interesting blog to read. This opened my perspective on drugs at student events, in my opinion, the responsibility lies with the person taking the drugs. Although, I also believe student events can do more to protect these students, such as disignated areas in large scale venues for support.
Thanks for getting involved Dan! Following on from your comment about designated areas, what do you think they should include? And how the support be given to students without prosecution? Especially if you say that the responsibility lies with the drug taker?
Good easy read. Whenever I attended any events, a large deterant and prevention is searching of bags which make no difference, previous comments make it clear if someone wanted to get any illegal items into a venue they would manage to find a way. More people nowadays do drugs so obviously it’s become a norm for others to ignore it instead of speaking up. It’s not only the responsibility of event managers to stop drug use but also the good nature of others seeing the use of drugs to speak up.
What an insightful comment Rob, yes it is clear from the comments that drugs will enter events no matter what the security. How do you think event managers could encourage event attendees to speak up about the issue?
Education on alcohol and drugs re effect on the brain and consequences. Plus clubs operating zero drug policy.
I’m my experience working with addicts in prison, cannabis is the most named as their gateway drug.
Thank you for comment, education is key to prevention, do you think clubs should provide support for people who have taken drugs or take legal action against them? For someone who works with drug addicts it would be interesting to know from your knowledge, are drugs used to enhance the event experience? And if so why?
This topic is both interesting and informative.
I think that safety is paramount where drugs are concerned and there needs to be more awareness and vigilance within the Universties.
It may be worth discussing with University official’s and asking whether they have a close working relationship with neighbourhood teams within the Police? As they may be able to conduct a drugs input for the start of term, discuss the dangers, offer support to those affected and provide a clear veiw of the implications drugs can cause.
Police (neighbourhood teams) may be able to organise special operations where they provide a presence for an evening during freshers week as a gentle reminder to the students, ensure safety and also to build communication with them introducing themselves as their neighbourhood team.
Thank you for your comment, Abbi.
Definitely! Although drug use is a controversial issue, it should be addressed by universities – the general consensus in these comments has been that people need to be made more aware of the dangers of drugs, and universities have a great platform from which to do this. The question is then how far into detail should universities go on the subject, as Sheffield and Manchester universities have both suffered bad feedback for providing in depth information on drugs – where should they draw the line?
You make a great point there – there is already a helpful presence provided by the Police and Street Pastors etc in many locations but if universities could collaborate with them, implementing training for drug abuse as well could be hugely beneficial to everyone. Arranging for talks during Freshers week would be really sensible and could ‘nip it in the bud’ for a lot of freshers who might otherwise be tempted. Building up a support system with gentle encouragement to students may well be the way forward.
I Think drugs are a big issue in the age gap of 13- 21. It’s not monitored enough at festivals or events people are not check clearly enough as they still manage to get them in. In Munich opinion drugs should be a big offense and if caught on them at events or festivals they should be held in a tin unit tillnpolice show up and arrest them because staff always just look by it and ignore when people are high on drugs.
Its interesting that you think the age group is as young as 13. Addressing this, do you think students should be targeted more at schools? Do you think staff should be more experienced, so they don’t just ignore it? Do you think this impacts event experiences?
Wohoo so many things to say! Super interesting thoughts. However, I think Manchester university are doing an extremely good thing by publishing information regarding drug use for students. It’s not a drug promotion, because who in the UK has never heard of the word “drugs” or “drug use”. Everyone knows what they are and most people will choose to use them at some point during or after university. Yet because of the taboo around drugs it’s hardly ever spoken about and not many people know what they are actually taking. White powder? Could be cocaine. Could be ketamine. Could be an NPS. Especially with so many new psychoactive substances rising to the surface i think it is incredibly important that event managers start investing in stands or areas where students would be allowed to test their drugs to check the purity and legitimacy of what they are about to consume. Understandably there are legal issues as the British government and police are not welcoming to such drug testing, however in other countries within Europe, there are drug stands at every festival such as ‘International Energy Control’ and outside most nightclubs to function as a harm reduction service, thus allowing people to consume drugs safely.
I believe it is very important for event managers to start addressing the area of drugs as an existing issue that cannot be stopped but can be turned into a much safer area within their events.
Firstly thank you for all your comments on this controversial subject! It is interesting to hear your views on university’s ‘accepting’ drug use and providing support, rather the completely disregarding drugs at student events. I agree that the testing of drugs allows students to understand the substances that they are choosing to take, but do you think that in event managers creating spaces for students to test their drugs that they, in a way, are condoning the use of drugs at their events, or going against the advice of the law? And if harm were to come to a student even after testing their drugs at a safe space, would the event venue be to blame?
No of course not, the drug testing boxes are official harm reduction companies so they’re not promoting drug use, just ensuring safety. And it’s not illegal to have these boxes, the British police just aren’t politically fond of them due to the UK still having such a strong, negative, zero tolerance policy towards drug use. But to try and sweep it under the table in hope that everyone will be ok and if it isn’t spoken about then drugs will disappear just won’t happen. People won’t stop using drugs jsut as people wouldn’t stop consuming alcohol. Therefore it’s better to provide people with information on what they are taking rather than attempt to dismiss it and end up with a tragedy
Drug use is always a difficult issue to deal with during events. My experience has led me to the conclusion that our duty of care requires a zero tolerance approach. This approach is the most effective at
providing clear guidelines to staff
providing clear messages to attendees
deterring drug dealing
However, in reality it won’t stop all drug use and an element of pragmatism is required. I wouldn’t personally feel comfortable providing spaces/services that supported drug use as I believe it gives out the wrong messages.
Thank you for you comment Karen, it is interesting to hear that you hold a zero tolerance approach to this subject. It is extremely important to send the correct messages out to event staff and attendees before and during the event. If, as an event manager, you would not provide an amnesty space, what would you do if you found an attendee under the influence of drugs?