Getting to know The Drop | LOUD Bristol Issue Three
Posted on: 03 Jan 2022This article was first published in the third issue of LOUD Bristol, 365Bristol's dedicated music magazine. Read LOUD Issue Three and browse our first two editions here.
The Drop
After close to 18 months of radio silence, Bristol nightlife is making a comeback. LOUD chats to harm reduction non-profit The Drop to find out how they’re keeping people safe at some of the city’s top venues and festivals post-lockdown.
In news that will come as a statement of the glaringly obvious to some, and something of a shock to others, nightlife and party drugs go hand in hand. Bristol events are back, and regardless of your views on the matter, a sizeable portion of attendees will be using some sort of substance – or a combination of several – on the dancefloor. The long-awaited reopening of music venues and events has been a huge boost to party-goers who spent close to a year-and-a-half away from the club during the pandemic, and while we’re rightly welcoming a recovery period for the nightlife sector, it’s been no surprise to see a string of drug-related health incidents reported nationwide since lockdown was lifted.
These unprecedented times we find ourselves in have thrown up an array of new challenges when approaching drug use in nightlife environments. Thousands of people who have turned 18 since March 2020 will have never used drugs in a club before. After such a long time stuck indoors, tolerances are at an all-time low for even the most seasoned drug users. Supply and transportation issues linked to Brexit are affecting the quality of drugs in circulation at venues and events of all shapes and sizes.
Thankfully, though, there are organisations working to make sure attendees at club nights and festivals are using drugs as safely as possible post-lockdown. In Bristol, harm reduction service The Drop are leading the way in offering practical, on-site advice at some of the city’s most popular nightlife venues. Part of the Bristol Drugs Project, The Drop act as a one-stop-shop of information and support for people who use party drugs in club and festival environments. The team operate on the premise that the more knowledge attendees have about the effects and potential risks of party drugs, the more informed their decisions will be when it comes to taking them.
“We’re not there to pass judgement on what drugs a person decides to use or to repeat the ‘Just Say No’ approach to drugs education that many people will have received at school”
Since the summer, the organisation have been on-site at Love Saves The Day and Tokyo World, as well as major venues like Motion and Lakota, offering harm reduction advice for attendees and chatting to people about what they’ve taken or are planning to take. Sorcha Ryan, The Drop’s Festival & Nightclub Harm Reduction Lead, says the service has already seen plenty of uptake since lockdown restrictions were lifted, and that its advice can be vital for first-time or relatively inexperienced users.
“At events over the summer we spoke to almost a thousand individuals,” Sorcha explains, “and the most important thing about that is that the majority of those people will have never spoken to a professional about their drug use before. They might have spoken to their mates or their older siblings, but doing that early harm reduction work can be really important to prevent more problematic drug use in the future. We kind of see our role as stopping that harm as well as reducing the risk of acute harms, such as overdose.”
The Drop’s on-site spaces are set up to be as welcoming as possible, offering physical resources like ear plugs and clean snorting equipment – particularly useful during a pandemic – alongside posters and information booklets. The team also operate a small chillout space at venues and festivals, creating a calming environment for people who may have taken too much of something, had an intense come-up or are just in need of a breather.
Sorcha (left) on-site with The Drop at The Loco Klub in 2021.
“We do hope to be a relatable service,” Sorcha says. “We’re not there to pass judgement on what drugs a person decides to use or to repeat the ‘Just Say No’ approach to drugs education that many people will have received at school.” Instead, on-site staff are looking to get a good understanding of a person’s knowledge or experience with substances so they can cater their conversations accordingly. If it becomes apparent that someone’s spent hours researching MDMA before taking it, for example, the team won’t spend time explaining to them what a dose is. That same person, however, might not know how one drug interacts with another, or may have questions about using drugs while on prescription medication. “We try to pitch the information appropriately to whoever’s trying to ask those questions,” Sorcha explains.
Services like The Drop can, of course, encounter a range of hurdles when it comes to approaching drug use on licensed premises. Ultimately, prohibition-style UK policy means that councils, police and licensing committees can take issue with an on-site harm reduction service, because it relies on a mutual acknowledgement that illegal substances are finding their way into venues.
Sorcha and The Drop, on the other hand, have managed to establish and maintain constructive relationships with local authorities and night-time economy stakeholders in Bristol. “Venues and events are in a really tricky position,” Sorcha says, “because they do have a responsibility for their customers and they need to be seen to be taking measures to prevent drugs from getting onto the premises. We’re really lucky here that a lot of the bigger events and venues are on board already. They’ve run venues for decades and they know what they’re dealing with. We’re also massively supported by the council, and public health, and the police force in the area which is great – they’re all incredibly supportive of what we do.”
Over the coming weeks, The Drop will be present at a number of Bristol venues as part of a busy winter season. Facing all kinds of challenges post-lockdown, the team remain as dedicated as ever to keeping people as safe as possible on the dancefloor.
To find out more about The Drop, access up-to-date advice or explore volunteering opportunities, head to their website or find the team on Instagram.
Head to Issuu to read the full third issue of LOUD Bristol, featuring an array of interviews with renowned artists, venues, labels and more.
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
