According to the latest study by the National Anti-Drug Agency (ANA) conducted in 2022 on "Drug Use Among Young People in Recreational Settings," many festival and concert attendees in Romania consume psychoactive and psychotropic substances.
The study was conducted using a face-to-face questionnaire completed by 1,072 respondents at festivals and concerts, and an online questionnaire completed by 1,089 respondents.
According to the data collected by ANA, there are several reasons why music event attendees consume illegal substances. Thus, 19.8% of respondents use this method to relax, 14.5% consume out of curiosity, and 12.7% do not have a clearly defined reason.
Methods of Drug Use at Festivals
The majority of those who participated in the ANA study were of the opinion that drugs are easy to procure at concerts.
However, due to stricter security and controls, many people have begun to abandon risky methods of bringing drugs into festivals, such as hiding them in clothes, shoes, hair, or even in their mouths. As a result, the consumption of substances outside the festival perimeter has become popular.
According to Marius Oprișan, director of the Addiction Prevention, Evaluation and Therapy Association Equitas Constanța, many participants seek accommodation as close as possible to the festival venue so that they can consume substances in their hotel room and then quickly get to the show. Those who are unable to find suitable accommodation for this method keep their drugs in their car in the festival parking lot, where they come whenever they feel the need to experience other states of mind. "That's why, starting in 2022, at the first post-pandemic edition of Sunwaves, the number of exits from the festival was reduced to three, precisely to prevent this consumption in apartments," Marius Oprișan told Cuget Liber.
Which Festivals Have the Most Drug Users
According to data from the ANA study, Romanian drug users have diverse tastes in music genres.
Of the festival-going respondents, 30.7% prefer house music, while 22.5% listen to pop and 14.5% to reggae. Among those who completed the online questionnaire, 22.7% listen to rock, 16.7% to pop, and 16% to house.
Thus, the festivals with the statistically highest number of consumers are those that adopt music genres such as house, pop, and rock.
Additional Points
The study found that the most commonly consumed drugs at festivals are cannabis, ecstasy, and amphetamines.
The study also found that drug use is more common among men than women.
The study highlights the need for more effective drug prevention and harm reduction strategies at festivals.
Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the motivations, methods, and patterns of drug use among young people at festivals in Romania. This information can be used to inform prevention and harm reduction efforts aimed at reducing the negative consequences of drug use.
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