Drug tests at Electric Picnic 'will save lives

Anonymous monitoring scheme will analyse what is being taken

- SANDRA MALLON

ELECTRIC Picnic organisers say the HSE are set to do anonymous drug testing at this year's festival and that it will "save lives".

The health service said the scheme is part of plans for a drug monitoring programme to examine drugs and "provide real-time information" in a festival setting.

Speaking to RTE, Festival Republic boss Melvin Benn said: "Being able to test the drugs on site that people are surrendering or that [gardai] are seizing and then being able to report to the rest of festival goers the statuses of those drugs and things like that, it is bound to reduce the potential of harm.

"I think it is a really massive step forward."

He said that "drugs exist in all aspects of society" and that the new programme acknowledges this.