[Huffpost UK] Are Nightclubs The Right Place For Harm Reduction Initiatives?
The closure of one of the UK’s most successful and iconic dance clubs, Fabric, in August this year, has raised questions about the roles and responsibilities of nightclubs within the night time economy, as well as broader concerns about the UK’s escalating ecstasy-related mortality rate. Whilst ecstasy use has remained relatively stable across the last decade (1), mortality rates slumped to 5 in 2010 and then rose again to 57 deaths in 2015 (2). A key reason for this recent increase in ecstasy deaths is the changing nature of the ecstasy market. The ecstasy market has witnessed the emergence of virtually pure MDMA crystal (3), alongside ecstasy pills that are becoming smaller, higher purity and increasingly sophisticated and diverse in format, manufactured in colours and shapes that are themselves iconic brands. Significantly these pills are also tougher to break, making it difficult to discretely split in half when under surveillance by security staff in a leisure venue.