The HSE is to create safe spaces for drug users at festivals in a bid to reduce harm.
It's concerned about the increasing strength of MDMA and cocaine and new substances appearing in drugs.
Nicki Killeen, who leads the HSE's Emerging Drug Trend Responses, says there are a lot of unknowns this year.
She said that the cohort that came of age during the pandemic have no experience of festivals and going out with access to drugs and this may lead to excessive consumption.
Killeen also made the point that the drug market may have changed during the pandemic, with different contaminants being used to drive larger profits.
We're setting up our #DrugEducation tent at @LifeFestival this evening!
Say hi to our teams here and on outreach this weekend 🙌 Get a free waterbottle and info about different drugs and #HarmReduction #MedicsAreYourMates #IfYouGoGoSlow pic.twitter.com/IP0eJSNXJz
— HSE Drugs.ie (@drugsdotie) May 25, 2022
Indiependence Music and Arts Festival in Mitchelstown is one of three summer festivals set to be used as testing grounds for a new HSE campaign aimed at highlighting the risks associated with drug use.
With the return of the festival season following a two-year break, the HSE has expressed concern about what one health expert said was the emergence of “some very worrying trends” in drug use across Europe.
