Secret Garden Party trials drug testing service

Last weekend’s Secret Garden Party was the first festival to provide punters with a drug testing service.

Provided by forensic drug testing organisation The Loop - and in conjuction with Cambridgeshire police - the service was reportedly provided by 200 festival-goers.

As reports The Guardian, the service aimed to give users more information on what illegal substances actually contained. In an effort to reduce harm, it aimed to identify high-strength ecstasy pills and legal substances missold as illegal drugs.

Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, said the initiative helped stamp out dangerous and fake substances. “Around a quarter of people who brought in their drugs then asked us to dispose of them when they discovered that they had been mis-sold or were duds. We were taking dangerous substances out of circulation.”

He added: “We hope this groundbreaking service becomes the norm for all such events. It is now up to others to follow, to protect the health and safety of their customers. In truth it would be negligent for them not to.”