Parklife founder has threatened legal action against government over festival drug checks

Earlier this year, the government did a U-turn on support for drug testing at festivals. Coinciding with the start of the UK's festival season, the change in Home Office policy meant organisations would have to undergo a three-month license application process in order to continue testing confiscated substances.

UK festivals have most recently employed "back-of-house testing", which uses samples of confiscated or surrendered drugs. Larger festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds use private companies to do this, whilst independent festivals tend to use charity The Loop, whose professional volunteers have been able to test at events without a licence due to agreements with local police and councils.

In a letter to Home Office, Sacha Lord says festivals had been doing these testing regulations for at least 10 years until last month, when the government told him a licence would be needed for the first time, whilst the government says a licence has always been required to test drugs.

Good morning - we've been campaigning for the @ukhomeoffice to #BringBackDrugTesting at UK festivals.

We want to make it easier for organisers and charities to test drugs on site - it saves lives.

Join us and write to your MP https://t.co/O0eV5fCK7q
Drug testing saves lives pic.twitter.com/5qP8KLHiJo

— The News Movement (@thenewsmovement) July 3, 2023

The letter, co-signed by trade body the Night Time Industries Association, demands the government allow testing without a licence to go ahead as before, or take steps so organisations have enough time to comply with the licence requirement.

They've given the government a deadline of 7 July to provide a meaningful response, and say they'll begin legal action if this isn't met.

Michael Kill, CEO of Night Time Industries Association, stated: “The Home Office must reverse their decision for 2023, and consider the true impact of withdrawing a practice which has been operating safely in some regions for over 10 years, with the full knowledge and support of the Police and local authorities.”

“The festivals and events sector work extremely hard to ensure festival goers are kept safe, and rely heavily on back of house drug testing as a vital part of the overarching harm reduction strategy. Without this facility we are putting people’s lives at risk, leaving a considerable void in drug intelligence for Police and medical support services on the ground for the rest of the 2023 season."

I challenged the Govt to hold a debate to explain the huge U-turn on harm reduction at UK festivals through on-site drugs testing.

It’s a backwards step and flies in the face of a decade of Home Office approach that saves lives. pic.twitter.com/xhTgZxFW5o

— Sam Tarry MP (@SamTarry) June 30, 2023