Drugs Cheaper than Alcohol at Defqon.1 Music Festival
In the wake of the news of a 23-year-old man from Victoria dying of drug overdose during the Defqon.1 Music Festival in Sydney, partygoers testify that buying drugs during the festival was cheaper than buying alcohol.
The Defqon.1 Music Festival attracted more than 18,000 fans of techno, jumpstyle and hard trance. For this year's event, it featured acts from the Frontliner, Psyko Punkz, Gunz For Hire, Toneshifterz, Connected and Dillytek. The event was also attended not just by locals but tourists as well.
According to artist manager Yasoda Gonzales, partygoers were taking drugs before the party starts to avoid the police and guard dogs roaming the event.
''Punters who intend to bring a few pills with them in case they feel like taking them across the course of the day are now forced to down everything at once in order to avoid possible arrest. This is costing young people's lives," Ms Gonzales told the Sydney Morning Herald.
According to police reports, there were 84 drug-related arrests and a death during the event. But this did not surprise Adam Watson, 22, who partied at the Defqon.1 Music Festival.
''It doesn't surprise me at all. People were out of control in there. The festival gets worse and worse every year. Honestly, I put it [drug-taking] down to the amount it costs to drink inside of festivals. I think that's a massive factor for some people," said Mr Watson.
Detective Inspector Grant Healey told SMH that the drugs discovered at the event include magic mushrooms, cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and GHB.
''People are quite inventive on how they defeat police and security methods so it doesn't really matter [what we do],'' according to Mr Healey.
Mr Healey warned that those who are taking drugs, even when not apprehended, continues to gamble with their lives at stake.
''The problem is you don't know what's in the pill. If you think you are buying a particular pill, there is no quality control and you are getting whatever the cook makes. The music festivals themselves aren't a problem. The problem is adults making poor choices about their lifestyles.''