Release date: 25 May 2024.
The Loop is set to resume festival testing in 2024!
Press Release. Release date: 25 May 2024.
The Loop is set to resume festival testing in 2024!
The Loop will be delivering its pioneering ‘back of house’ drug testing during the festival period this year following the successful application and receipt of Home Office licences to proceed.
Substances of concern will be tested onsite at festivals in The Loop’s mobile laboratory providing rapid information to help keep festival attendees safe this summer. The Loop’s evidence-based testing and harm reduction services aim to reduce harm from drug-taking, increase understanding of local drug markets, and share information with stakeholders, including police and health services, to support harm reduction messages both within the festival and to wider communities.
The substances of concern are received by The Loop following surrender to amnesty bins, confiscation or, of highest priority, submissions from paramedics associated with drug-related medical incidents at the event, and rapid testing enables understanding of the drugs which are in circulation, and identifying those that may be of higher risk due to adulteration or strength.
Katy Porter, CEO of The Loop said:
“It is important that we are able to proceed this year with drug testing. The drug market is changing, and we are able to plan and prepare in our harm reduction messaging and response when we are informed regarding the drugs which are in circulation, and equipped with accurate and current information.”
Licensed by the Home Office and in line with government policy, The Loop’s aim of reducing the consumption of adulterants and contaminated drugs and reducing the risk of poisoning and overdose, has been welcomed by the two festivals The Loop will be working with.
Jon Drape, spokesperson on behalf of Parklife, said:
“On site drug testing is a cornerstone of our harm reduction strategy and we are delighted to have The Loop on-site with us this year.”
The Loop provides non-judgemental, clear, factual information to communicate relative risk and help reduce potential harm, signposting and supporting people to immediate and if required emergency health services, where appropriate. The Loop is clear that there is no such thing as safe drug use, all drug use carries risk, and it benefits all drug using communities and emergency services to better understand the nature and extent of dangerous drugs in circulation, to reduce the harm caused to individuals, communities and wider society.
"This is a fantastic endorsement of The Loop's work. For over a decade we have been testing onsite at UK festivals, in real time, to raise awareness about what is in circulation. This has been possible only because of partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders who have shared our vision of making festivals safer places. Thank you to all the police, promoters, paramedics, public health and welfare services who have supported The Loop's work and prioritised harm reduction."
Professor Fiona Measham, Chair in Criminology, University of Liverpool and Founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Loop.
Notes to Editors:
The Loop is the UK’s first dedicated drug-checking charity, with years of experience delivering drug testing, training, and harm reduction services. Founded by Professor Fiona Measham, a government drugs advisor since 2008, The Loop provides a range of evidence-based, research-led services to a variety of stakeholders, maximising the organisation’s impact. As recognised leaders in communicating drug harms through alerts based on trends identified in its testing services, this ensures the content of training is accurate, current and relevant.
What is 'back of house' drug testing?
'Back of house' drug testing is a term which was first coined by Professor Fiona Measham to describe The Loop's non public testing for harm reduction purposes. It is used to distinguish this type of harm reduction service from 'front of house' publicly accessible drug testing known internationally as 'drug checking'.
The Loop’s model of non public drug testing involves rapid analysis of substances of concern obtained from a wide variety of sources (including medical and welfare services; surrenders to amnesty bins; ground finds; and seizures and confiscations), tested by a team of chemists in a mobile laboratory located onsite at the festival. The primary aim of The Loop's onsite drug testing service is harm reduction. Results are disseminated throughout the day in real time to emergency services, support staff and other stakeholders onsite and offsite and, where appropriate, to the wider public via media, social media and early warning systems. The Loop's multi disciplinary team of health professionals and criminologists then interpret and contextualise any test results in terms of drug markets and risk to the public. In this way The Loop's drug testing differs from some other drug testing services operating behind the scenes, onsite at festivals and elsewhere, whose primary aim is to provide intelligence to police and security services.
When did 'back of house' drug testing start?
The Loop introduced the UK's first 'back of house' harm reduction drug testing in nightclubs in 2013 and in festivals in 2014. The Loop has conducted onsite harm reduction drug testing at every Parklife festival from 2014-2022. In recognition of the pioneering introduction of infrared spectroscopy for harm reduction purposes, The Loop won the UK Festival Awards 2014 award for ‘Best Use of New Technology’.
For more information:
· The history of The Loop introducing 'back of house' testing for harm reduction in the UK: Our History — The Loop (wearetheloop.org)
· A journal article discussing The Loop's 'back of house' festival testing for harm reduction £0: https://doi.org/10.1177/20503245221099209 · The Loop alerts archive: Drug Alerts — The Loop (wearetheloop.org)
Additional Information:
HO licence: These are the first HomeOffice licences issued for drug testing in the festival setting in UK. Anyone interested in lawfully undertaking activities which include the possession, supply or production of controlled drugs, including those who seek to provide drug checking or drug testing services, can apply for a Home Office controlled drug licence.