Coroner Investigation Links Festival Security to Increased Drug Risks
A Victorian coroner has delivered a significant finding that police presence, drug sniffer dogs, security guards and bag searches at music festivals can paradoxically lead to riskier drug use and greater harms among attendees. The investigation followed the tragic death of a young woman at a Melbourne electronic dance music event.
Tragic Case Highlights Systemic Issues
Coroner Ingrid Giles examined the circumstances surrounding the death of 28-year-old Trang Thi Thu Le, who attended the Marlo Altitude festival at Melbourne's John Cain Arena in September 2023. Le had gone to the event with friends and her partner to celebrate her birthday.
After consuming MDMA and ketamine and dancing with friends, Le collapsed, suffered seizures and went into cardiac arrest. Despite immediate assistance from healthcare emergency response crews and subsequent hospital treatment, she died in the early hours of September 17th - which would have been her birthday.
Coroner's Recommendations for Updated Guidelines
In findings published this week, Coroner Giles identified a critical need for Victoria's health department to update its code of practice for music festivals and events, which has remained unchanged since 2013. She specifically recommended the department consult with harm reduction and clinical experts to develop more effective guidelines.
"A common thread throughout research is that countermeasures designed exclusively to prevent people using drugs have no positive impact on drug use or related harms," Giles stated in her findings. "In some cases they can actually lead to riskier drug use and greater drug harms."
Pattern of Festival Deaths Revealed
The coroner's investigation revealed that between 2000 and 2024, 18 people died after overdosing at Victorian music festivals and events. Those who died were typically young adults with an average age of 26 years, and MDMA was implicated in 15 of these deaths.
How Security Measures May Backfire
A submission to the coroner from Harm Reduction Victoria outlined several festival practices that may contribute to dangerous behaviours:
- Regular checks by staff looking for signs of drug use in toilets
- Prohibiting people from bringing in water
- Long queues to access water facilities
- Random "pat down" searches of attendees
- Security-led responses to people experiencing drug effects
These practices may create mistrust and fear among festival-goers, potentially leading to riskier behaviours such as consuming dangerous amounts of drugs before entering venues to avoid detection.
Support for Harm Reduction Approaches
While the coroner made no adverse findings regarding the management of the specific Marlo Altitude event, she emphasised the need to critically examine current guidance for event organisers. Giles particularly commended Victoria's free and confidential pill testing trial, describing it as "a vital part of the state's overall harm reduction strategy."
Her findings noted that drug checking or pill testing services at outdoor music festivals were associated with people using reduced dose sizes and being more likely to dispose of potentially dangerous substances.
The coroner's investigation highlights the complex relationship between security measures and drug safety at large-scale events, suggesting that a shift toward harm reduction approaches may prove more effective than purely prohibitive measures.
