At dance festivals, the drugs people most often take are stimulants and hallucinogens. Ecstasy is the most popular, but people also often take cocaine, ketamine, speed and mushrooms.

The effects of these drugs vary from one person to the next. The effects we list below are the ones most users generally report.

For more detailed information about the various drugs and their effects, visit the following sites:

• Tripsit
• ToxQuébec (in French only)

If you like mixing drugs, consult The Blender, an information pamphlet produced by AQPSUD on the effects of various drug mixes.

If you’re concerned about drugs or you’re having a rough hangover, don’t hesitate to reach out to a community worker to get some support.

 

Magic mushrooms

Psilocybin is a central nervous system disruptor that’s found, among other things, in magic mushrooms.

Taking magic mushrooms (mushrooms, shrooms) can intensify your emotions, sharpen your senses, help you feel happy and creative, make you laugh and give you a feeling of lucidity and emotional clarity. Its other effects can include visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations. The effects come 15 to 45 minutes after ingestion and they last three to six hours, but you may feel the hallucinations for up to four days after ingestion.

There are several ways to take magic mushrooms:

• chewing and swallowing
• infusing with a tea or tisane
• swallowing a capsule with food

Tip: If you take hallucinogens and you’re struck with a desire to admire nature, go out with a friend or someone you trust.

 

Cocaine

Cocaine (coke, powder, snow, blow) is a natural drug extracted from coca leaves. It’s a stimulant.

The effects of cocaine are euphoria, the feeling of being all-powerful, and the absence of fatigue, appetite and pain. People also note increased awareness of all their senses: hearing, sight, sexual desire and the sense of touch all seem heightened. After using, depending on how you take it, the effects manifest anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes later, and they last from five to 30 minutes.

In general, coke is taken by:

• sniffing or snorting
• smoking
• injecting

Tip: If you’re sniffing or snorting, give each person a straw of a different colour so you don’t get them mixed up.

 

Ecstasy

Ecstasy (MDMA, E, XTC, love drug), derived from amphetamine, is both a stimulant and a central nervous system disruptor.

The short-term effects, which can be both stimulating and hallucinogenic, manifest 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion and can last four to six hours. These effects include sensations of pleasure and wellbeing. You feel more sociable and closer to people. Like all stimulants, ecstasy creates the feeling of having tons of energy and confidence. The medium-term effects, such as depression, anxiety and paranoia, are harder to predict and they can last a few days to a few weeks.

Ecstasy is available in the form of pills in different colours and shapes.

Tip: Ecstasy can heighten sensations and sharpen your senses. During a festival, if the stimulation gets too intense, use items such as earplugs and sunglasses to reduce it.

 

Ketamine

Ketamine (Special K, vitamin K, ket, kitty) is a powerful, fast-acting anesthetic.

It can have stimulating effects. In general, you feel numb and like you’re floating or dissociating from your body. In high doses, the drug makes people turn inward. It can make you forget who you are and where you are, have an unsteady gait, experience rapid heartbeat, have difficulty breathing and can even cause fainting. Its effects manifest one to 30 minutes after you take it and last for about 60 minutes.

Ketamine is taken by

• sniffing or snorting
• ingesting
• injecting

Tip: If you take ketamine during a festival, find a place with a bit of room to move so that you can really feel the sensation of floating. 

 

Speed

Speed (amphetamine, peanut, wake-up) is a psychostimulant drug that increases vigilance, energy, self-confidence and sensory perceptions. It reduces appetite, fatigue, sleep and the ability to feel pain. It can be a source of anxiety, irritability, euphoria, agitation, hallucinations and nervous tics.

The effects show up 15 to 60 minutes after you take a pill and can last up to 12 hours.

Tip: Speed can take away your desire to rest, but take a moment off the dance floor now and again to relax and hydrate.

Sniff kit

When you’re snorting or sniffing, a good prevention strategy is to have a few straws on hand for taking your drugs.

You can get a sniff kit for free from harm reduction community organizations that are often present at techno festivals. They usually contain cardboard straws, a glass straw, sterile water for cleaning your nostrils, an alcohol pad, condoms and lube. You can also get injection kits if you prefer.

To reduce the risk of hepatitis C transmission, it’s important to use new materials each time and not to share.

Before the festival

You can visit a drug checking site where a community worker will test your drugs to see whether they contain fentanyl, among other things. You can also do it yourself by getting a drug checking kit.

The kit contains:

• testing strips
• a container
• sterile water
• a cotton swab
• an instruction guide

During the festival

Very often, at least one community organization will have a harm reduction booth set up at a festival. Don’t hesitate to drop by to get information, have your drugs checked, and get the material you need.

 

Always get information before you mix your medications with drugs.

Depending on the medication and the substance, the medication’s effectiveness might be reduced, or the drug’s effects might be stronger.

Tips: To start, take a half-dose of your drug and see how your body reacts. If you’re not feeling anything after 30 to 90 minutes, you can take a second small dose.

Space out the time when you take your meds and the time you take your drugs to limit interactions between the two.

If you have questions about the medication you’re taking and the substance you’re planning to use, you can refer to the Guide drogues et interactions (in French only) from Plein Milieu.

You can never truly be ready to overdose or witness an overdose, but a small act like carrying a naloxone kit can save a life.

Naloxone is a medication that acts against opioid overdoses (fentanyl, morphine and so on) and is usually administered by the nose. It also exists in the form of intramuscular injections.

The signs of an opioid overdose are:

• blue lips or nails
• dizziness and confusion
• sleepiness or difficulty staying awake
• inability to wake up
• sounds of choking, gargling or snoring
• slow, shallow breathing or no breathing

When in doubt, administer naloxone anyway. The medication is not dangerous and only works if there are opioids present.

Follow these four steps if you witness an overdose:

• Call 911 and send someone to tell the paramedics.
• Administer a dose of naloxone by the nose.
• Start doing CPR.
• If, after six minutes, the person isn’t waking up, you can administer a second dose and keep doing CPR until the paramedics arrive.