Pubdate: Thu, 07 Aug 2014
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Authors: Susan Lazaruk and Cheryl Chan
Page: A3

MOUNTIES TO TARGET DRUG USERS

Squamish Valley: Police, music festival officials promise tight security

After a rash of drug-related deaths and illnesses at music festivals
this summer, Squamish RCMP said they'll be enforcing a zero-tolerance
policy on harder drugs at the Squamish Valley Music Festival this weekend.

"We are going to arrest and charge," said Sgt. Wayne Pride of the
Squamish RCMP.

But police will also exercise discretion depending on the type and
amount of drugs.

"We're not here to be heavyhanded," Pride said. "If someone is found
in possession of many individually wrapped packs of cocaine, for
example, we're going to take that more seriously than someone smoking
a doobie in the crowd."

Three people have died of suspected overdoses this summer in B.C. and
Ontario at music fests, where so-called "party drugs" are common, and
almost 100 more were hospitalized with drug-or alcohol-related illnesses.

Organizers of the Squamish festival said they're not concerned about
drugs.

Drugs are "way more prevalent on the EDM (electronic dance music)
scene and this isn't an EDM scene," festival director Paul Runnals
said during a tour of the site Wednesday.

"There have been some unfortunate things that have happened lately,
but if you look at some of the dynamics around those events, they're
not like ours," he said.

Festival security director Barry Wilding said festivalgoers will be
patted down at the gates and their bags checked, with security on the
lookout for illegal drugs.

"If we find it, we'll confiscate it," he said. "If we find people
doing drugs, we'll definitely get the RCMP involved."

There will be 500 uniformed security guards, as well as a number of
plain-clothes security on site.

The Squamish RCMP will be ramped up by member officers from various
Metro Vancouver forces, said Pride.

"What we've heard with the overdoses reinforces our approach," said
Pride, noting Squamish police already planned to take a more
"assertive approach" after seeing hard drugs make an appearance at
recent Squamish fests.

There are eight medical tents at this year's event, with room enough
to treat up to 50 people, noted Runnals. "There is no such thing as a
safe drug," said provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. "You
don't know what's in them. You get batches that are very toxic."

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[sidebar]

2014 festival deaths

Boonstock Music and Arts Festival, Penticton, Aug. 1 to 3 Lynn
Tolocka, 24, of Leduc, Alta., died of an apparent drug overdose after
collapsing while dancing on stage. Another 80 people were taken to
hospital for drug-and alcohol-related illnesses.

Veld Electronic Music Festival, Toronto, Aug. 2 to 3 A man, 22, and a
woman, 20, died and 13 were taken to hospital after consuming a brown
pill or a clear capsule filled with a white substance, according to
police. Cause of death is unknown.

Pemberton Music Festival, July 16 to 20 Nick Phongsavath, 21, of
Regina was found unresponsive in his tent on the camp grounds Friday
evening. The exact cause of death is not yet known pending a
toxicology report.
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MAP posted-by: Matt