Drugs of Abuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances at Outdoor Music Festivals in Colorado.
Substance Use & Misuse June 7, 2018 Jacob Fox, Alexis Smith, Alexander Yale et al.
At outdoor music festivals, drug use, including novel psychoactive substances (NPS), is common and normalized. Interviews with 171 attendees at two Colorado festivals in 2015 and 2016 revealed that most were experienced drug users who perceived minimal risks. Nearly all reported normalization of drug use at festivals. Primary motivations for use were empathogenic, entactogenic, and entheogenic effects. NPS use was endorsed by 39.8% (n=68) of respondents, all experienced users, who cited low cost, minimal perceived risk, accessibility, and normalization as reasons.