STOP BUYING YOUR DRUGS FROM DOUCHEBAG FESTIVAL SELLERS

[Chip (OP)]

Drugs and music festivals have always gone hand in hand, and in many ways serve the same purpose to those involved. In a recreational setting (and for a specific type of person), the ability to transport oneself into a different and euphoric reality for a short period of time in order to experience something with a more open mindset and with the freedom to ‘be’ without ‘doing’ is most easily accessed through the use of substances or large-scale music events. Both force the user to focus almost entirely on the adventure at hand, and to exchange the rigid boundaries of identity for the collective unity of community. They can be beautiful and eye-opening affairs when done safely and responsibly.

Music festivals can also, however, become opportunities for those with a profit in mind to severely threaten and disrupt the ideally sacred atmosphere of such events. I speak, of course, of those who show up to the grounds with pockets full of drugs to sell, one eye locked on sprinkler-setting for nearby security, and the intention of earning as much money as possible during the weekend. These festival sellers bring with them an entirely new breed of danger and disruption to an occasion that isn’t without its own inherent risks to begin with. They are a group that few talk about, as they are most commonly perceived as an insignificantly small part of the greater drug problem at hand. Their interactions with our country’s festival scene, however, are far more detrimental than one would expect.

John H. Tucker of The Village Voice published an extensive article on the subject in 2010, centering his attention on an East Coast group of NOS-slinging balloon junkies, affectionately labelled as the Nitrous Mafia. While the inhalation of nitrous oxide, or ‘whippit’, is a somewhat distant method for the typical EDM festival attendee, the effect this gang has on the circuit is just as relevant toward our understanding of the larger issue. The following information specifically covering the Nitrous Mafia has been taken exclusively from the Village Voice’s piece.

... continues. Read the whole article with it's photos, go to > http://www.youredm.com/2015/07/19/stop-buying-your-drugs-from-douchebag-festival-sellers/