Keith Bowering, a member of the drug education non-profit SayKnow, is spearheading a partnership that will provide drug testing strips at three festivals this summer.
Bowering noted many festivals have long offered services for people to check drug samples on-site as a safeguard against overdoses. The AIDS Network Kootenay Outreach and Support Society, or ANKORS, even published a textbook on services it provides for the Shambhala Music Festival near Nelson, B.C.Article content
“Everything between the legalities and insurance just made it impossible for us to provide it,” Letts said.“We’re obviously not encouraging folks to use substances at all, but we also need to be realistic about the reality we find ourselves in. And we know that people are. So the best thing to do is to meet folks where they’re at.”
“I find myself in a pretty unique position where I know all of the players down the line. So I connected everybody and made it happen,” Bowering said.