Trained volunteers will be able to assist people from three locations this weekend
Image via Instagram/@epfestivalThe HSE say it'll be back at Electric Picnic this year for on-site drug checking.
Its aim is to provide harm reduction to identify drugs that pose a risk, and allow people to surrender drugs for the purpose of testing.
Last year was the first of it's kind at the Stradbally festival.
A first of its kind, anonymous drug checking facility will operate at @EPfestival this year.
It’s a landmark harm reduction strategy aimed at promoting safety at festivals.
More details @virginmedianews at 12.30 pic.twitter.com/N1Tufv0j0N
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) August 18, 2022
Trained volunteers will be able to assist people from three locations this weekend, while five bins will be available for people to give up drugs.
Nicki Killeen, HSE Emerging Drugs Trends Project Manager, says it's important people tell medics what they've taken if they're suffering an emergency:
"If someone is unwell and you have any of that drug left over please consider putting it in one of our surrender bins and we have seen that at other events, that people have surrender drugs in the medical tent or people have come to us in our tents and said my friend has become unwell from this and given what was left from the group and then that helps us what is link with medical situations on site."
Last year an urgent warning was sent out by the HSE at Electric Picnic that "high strength" drugs had been identified.
This was discovered at a lab set up on the Electric Picnic site where they could analyse drugs to provide real-time information in a festival setting.
The @drugsdotie team are issuing caution from #EP2022.
The lab on-site has identified Mybrand purple skull pill which is approximately two times the average dose.
Please exercise caution. Visit https://t.co/Z58KqtOZpU.#ReduceTheHarm pic.twitter.com/zvYuix8hnm
— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) September 2, 2022
