In the picturesque Kootenay Rockies of British Columbia, a line of festival attendees forms outside a tent. It’s early August, and they’re carrying MDMA, LSD, ketamine and other substances — or so they think.
They’re actually here to use the drug-testing service offered at Shambhala, the electronic music festival that takes place each summer at the Salmo River Ranch, about 400 miles east of Vancouver, since 1998. Operated by the nonprofit AIDS Network Kootenay Outreach and Support Society (ANKORS), the service aims to help attendees make informed decisions about illegal drugs, which the festival prohibits but are inevitably snuck in. A large-screen TV visible to passersby displays the results: One substance sold as MDMA was actually bath salts; a bag of ketamine contained meth. “We’re not trying to stop them from using drugs or get them to use drugs,” explains project coordinator Chloe Sage. “We’re neutral.”
Shambhala’s stunning location and stacked lineups — 2020’s headliners include deadmau5 and REZZ — have made it a favorite on the North American circuit. But in a genre that has experienced several high-profile drug-related deaths at festivals in the past decade, Shambhala also has become an industry leader in harm reduction.
Currently, drug testing at festivals is rare. In the United States, it’s not available at any major dance music festival, partly because of the 2003 RAVE Act. Sponsored by then- Sen. Joe Biden, the law effectively made venue owners and promoters liable for drug use at their events, which discouraged organizers from sharing harm-reduction information that might draw attention to illicit activity.
Thus as the flurry of drug-related deaths at dance festivals during the EDM heyday put a national spotlight on the issue, promoters’ hands remained tied, particularly as many once independent events were consolidated under parent companies like Live Nation and AEG. While well-intentioned, festivals remain wary of how on-site drug education might be perceived by venue owners, insurers and local government agencies – all of which can block festivals from happening.
Independently owned and free from RAVE Act restraints, Shambhala first invited ANKORS to do drug testing in 2002. For years, ANKORS volunteers took precautions like not handling drugs directly to avoid liability. (Because the festival is held on private land, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police must also be invited onsite, which they are for two hours a day during the event. Sage says Shambhala has a good relationship with local law enforcement.) ANKORS, which is government funded, also carries its own liability insurance.
But as the opioid crisis gripped British Columbia in the past few years, its government recognized the value in Shambhala’s efforts. In 2018, the province granted the festival a special exemption that allowed ANKORS to carry out its work more freely. Last year, epidemiologists from the British Columbia Interior Health Authority even volunteered with ANKORS.
Once in the ANKORS tent, Shambhala attendees place a tiny bit of their drug on a plate to be tested by an FTIR spectrometer, which uses infrared light and a substance database to test substances with excellent accuracy. (All substances are also tested for the powerful opioid fentanyl.) Introduced in 2018, after years of testing with less sophisticated methods, the spectrometer’s $42,000 price tag was partially covered by festival attendees, who could donate to the cause when purchasing tickets. (Three other machines owned by various health organizations are also brought in to reduce wait times.) Volunteers who’ve come from as far as Australia to train with ANKORS then explain the results.
“Obviously there is risk associated with any kind of drug use, says Colton, a Shambhala attendee from central Alberta, “but for me, there’s peace of mind in being able to find out that what I buy here is what it’s supposed to be.” Shambhala drug dealers are encouraged to have their products tested, and Sage says overall drug quality at the festival has improved through ANKORS’ presence. (The festival does not serve alcohol or allow alcohol onsite.)
Now others are taking note: Another British Columbia festival, Bass Coast, began working with ANKORS and in 2019 received the same exemption. More recently, British Columbia provincial health minister Bonnie Henry signed a letter to festival promoters requiring any mass gathering in the province to have drug testing. Sage hopes festivals across Canada and beyond will follow suit. “We were the only one for so long,” she says, tearing up. “I’m so excited to see this spread.”
This article originally appeared in the March 14, 2020 issue of Billboard.