2023-07-31 06:13:46
Sciensano pleads for raising awareness around the safe use of drugs in festivals instead of an outright ban, the Mediahuis newspapers write on Monday. This reaction from the Institute of Public Health comes following two possible drug-related deaths at Tomorrowland.
Six deaths have occurred at Tomorrowland in the past 11 years, four of them drug-related. The organization of the festival claims to make every effort to ensure control and security. Sciensano supports these actions but insists on the importance of strengthening prevention and education around drugs, not only within the framework of the festival, but also in our society in general.
“International studies confirm it: the risks must be reduced by offering festival-goers the possibility of having their drugs checked and by offering them a platform for discussion, for example. Often consumers do not know what they are buying and therefore put themselves at risk. Alerting once morest certain harmful drugs circulating on the site through dynamic signs can also have a preventive effect,” explains Margot Balcaen, from the Belgian Drug Early Warning System at Sciensano. “Such a harm reduction policy requires an appropriate framework, as it requires intensive cooperation between public health, police forces and social workers. »
The implementation of this kind of measures requires resources, recognizes Margot Balcaen. “But if we are serious regarding tackling the drug problem, we need to reduce or even remove the stigma around it. »
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