The Home Office has been accused by leading festival organisers of endangering the lives of revellers after in effect blocking on-site drug testing last weekend.
The Parklife festival in Manchester last weekend was for the first time since 2014 unable to test confiscated pills because the government department said they needed to apply for a special licence.
The development has deeply concerned those running the UK’s largest festivals, who use onsite testing facilities to check on drugs and can then warn attenders and the emergency services about possible casualties.
Melvin Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic, which runs Leeds and Reading festivals, said: “Events at this year’s Parklife are extremely worrying for everyone in the industry, and even more importantly festivalgoers.
“If festival organisers fear their safeguarding measures will be pulled at the 11th hour, then how can we guarantee the wellbeing of our guests?”
Parklife, which attracted about 70,000 dance music fans to Heaton Park, has for eight years worked with Greater Manchester police and the drug-testing charity The Loop to test confiscated drugs on site.
The drugs, confiscated by the police or security and usually in pill or powder form, are tested in a cabin on site.
If the tests show that the drugs are a serious threat to health, a “push notification” alert is sent to revellers warning them that the drug is dangerous. Medics on site can also submit drugs for testing if an attender suspected of taking a dangerous substance falls ill.
Advocates say it helps drug users make informed choices and reduces the risk of overdoses. But days ago, the Home Office told The Loop to apply for a separate licence instead of relying on its agreement with the police.
As a result, drugs were not tested, and no drug alerts were sent to ravers. This is believed to be the first time that a testing organisation has been advised by the Home Office that it must obtain a Home Office licence to continue with “back-of-house” onsite testing at a festival.
The decision will cast doubt on whether similar testing can take place at bigger festivals this summer such as Reading and Creamfields.
Sacha Lord, the founder of Parklife, said that the decision put young people’s lives at risk and warned that it could be replicated at other festivals with younger attenders.
“Drug testing onsite has been an essential part of the work we do with the support of Greater Manchester police to keep festivalgoers safe. This move is a disappointing, senseless U-turn of government policy that puts people at risk,” said Lord, who is also the night-time economy adviser to the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
“This huge misstep from the Home Office could set a potentially dangerous precedent for the summer’s festival season. We call for an immediate reversal of this decision so that organisers can continue to prioritise the safety of festivalgoers.”
In a statement, the Home Office said that it would advise drug testing organisations to seek licences.
A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on individual licensing applications, but said: “Anyone interested in undertaking lawful activities involving the possession, supply or production of controlled drugs, including those who wish to provide drug testing services, need to apply for a Home Office licence.
“Festival organisers in consultation with local partners are responsible for decisions relating to drug testing at festivals. We will continue an open dialogue with prospective licensees throughout the festival season.”
According to festival organisers, it can take more than three months to arrange for a Home Office licence to be granted, and it can cost over £3,000.
Sources said the Home Office expects to check premises weeks in advance, but most drug testing facilities at festivals – in temporary cabins or tents – are erected in the days before the event.
GMP said it would not comment on decisions made by the Home Office, but added: “The testing of drugs at music festivals remains an important tool in building our intelligence around specific drugs and helping to keep people safe.”
The Loop, a small charity which works closely with the Home Office, declined to comment.
The law as it stands remains unclear on drug testing, according to a parliamentary report.
A report from the culture, media and sport select committee last summer said that while the Home Office can issue licences for organisations to handle controlled drugs, these “have always been for fixed sites, permanent laboratories and not for mobile facilities” such as tents in festival fields.
Prof Fiona Measham, founder of The Loop, told MPs that the cost of a licence for each festival would be prohibitive, and even if The Loop was licensed it would not be specifically for drug checking, which is different from handling substances. “I would appreciate having greater clarity about the legislative and policy framework that we operate in because legal opinions differ,” she said.
In its response to the committee’s report, the government backed “back-of-house” drug testing, which is the testing of drugs after they have been confiscated. “The government will continue to support back-of-house testing on substances that have been seized, as this can provide useful intelligence and enable festival organisers and other partners to implement harm reduction measures,” it said.
• This article was amended on 15 June 2023. An earlier version said that the Home Office would always ask drug testing organisations to seek licences; to clarify it advises organisations, depending on circumstances.
