A Canadian electronic music festival has drawn attention for offering free drug-checking services on site, a harm-reduction move organizers say can help prevent overdoses — even as opponents argue it risks normalizing dangerous behavior.
Shambhala Music Festival, which brought more than 50,000 attendees to British Columbia in July, has long been known for its high-energy dance music scene, where some revelers also take illegal substances while partying.
According to The New York Times, festivalgoers are sometimes approached by illicit dealers offering so-called “party favors,” including ketamine, LSD and MDMA, with purchases arranged through encrypted messaging apps.
Acknowledging that drug use cannot be completely eliminated from the festival environment, organizers have partnered with ANKORS, a nonprofit harm-reduction group, to provide on-site drug purity testing aimed at lowering the risk of medical emergencies.
At the testing tent, attendees can bring in substances to be photographed and analyzed by trained volunteers, who also provide information about what the drugs may contain and the potential dangers associated with them.
Supporters say the service is designed to save lives at a time when overdoses are rising and street drugs are increasingly contaminated with highly potent substances such as fentanyl. But the approach remains controversial among those who believe it sends the wrong message.
“This isn’t going to end well…..” one critic commented on Instagram.
Another commenter objected bluntly, writing: “Enabling drug addicts is never good for society.”
The Shambhala Music Festival hosted more than 50,000 people in British Columbia earlier this month. Like most festival, it is known for its drug-heavy parties
However, unlike other festivals, Shambhala offers drug testing on-site for festivalgoers to use. Pictured: someone enjoying the festival
‘Maybe don’t do drugs,’ added a third.
Even readers of the Times’ report on the on-site drug lab were skeptical, with child safety volunteer Jim Carroll, of Knoxville, saying that almost every parent he saw in the past five years who lost custody rights was as a result of addiction.
‘Please do not normalize drug use. In this era of fentanyl laced drugs even “recreational” use is akin to walking a tightrope,’ he wrote. ‘It’s not worth it.’
There were more than 5,600 apparent opioid toxicity deaths, and more than 3,300 stimulant-related fatalities in 2025 in Canada, government data showed.
More than 23,000 Canadians ended up in the ER due to opioid-related poisoning, while 5,000 did for stimulant use, data showed.
With growing numbers, the festival – which does not allow alcohol – decided to get proactive, starting in the early 2000s when ANKORS got involved.
ANKORS originally started as a discreet operation during the festival, but nowadays, festivalgoers are encouraged to get all their drugs tested before using them.
‘We’d rather help people than say: “You’re on your own,”‘ Antoine Marcheterre, a co-manager of ANKORS, told the Times.
He knows people are against harm reduction as a measure of managing illicit drugs, with many in favor of simply telling people not to do them.
Not everyone agreed with the festival offering drug testing
During the festival, ANKORS, the organization that tests the drugs, had to send an alert to warn others that a very potent drug had been found
‘It’s a textbook example of what our service can do,’ Antoine Marcheterre, a co-manager of ANKORS, said. ANKORS has been testing drugs at the festival since the early 2000s
‘They’ll say: “Let’s not spend the money. People should not use drugs.” But that’s not the reality of things,’ he told the outlet.
The festival did have one scary moment when it had to release an alert strongly encouraging everyone to get their drugs tested as a ‘very dangerous substance’ had been found.
A festivalgoer brought what they thought was 2C-B, a synthetic psychedelic also known as Nexus, but when it was tested it came back as 25B-NBOH, which is very potent.
The person who brought the drugs to be tested bought them at the festival, causing concern that others could be unknowingly taking it, Marcheterre said.
At a public safety meeting, festival officials decided to put out an alert on the festival’s app, reading: ‘ANKORS has identified a dangerous substance on site. Exercise extreme caution and test before use.’
Marcheterre said instances like this are the whole point of having ANKORS on site.
‘It’s a textbook example of what our service can do,’ he told The Times.
The festival started in 1998 when Rick and Sue Bundschuh, who still oversee the annual event, wanted a safer place for their son, Jimmy, to attend raves. They decided to host Jimmy and his friends.
The festival started in 1998 when Rick and Sue Bundschuh, who still oversee the annual event
The first year, 500 people came to party. Festival attendance has since grown to 50,000 people
‘It just made sense to have a place where they could, you know, not have a lot of rules but some checks and balances,’ Sue told The Times.
The first year, 500 people came to party. Festival attendance has since grown to 50,000 people.
And drugs aren’t the only trouble festivalgoers get into. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they issued hundreds of tickets, including 311 for speeding, and there were 78 drug-impaired driving files during the weekend.
Eleven drivers were also caught on the roads without insurance, which concerned police.
‘It’s particularly concerning combined with the high number of speeders. It shows a level of irresponsible decision-making, and we’d like to see safer behavior on the roads that we all share,’ Sergeant Michael McLaughlin said in a statement.
Police also ridiculed revelers for driving under the influence, despite warnings.
‘We asked people before the event to make sure they allowed drugs to clear their system before driving, but too many ignored that advice,’ McLaughlin said.
‘It looks like we will have to be back next year, and hopefully in greater numbers, to deal with festivalgoers who are driving unsafely.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the festival and ANKORS for comment.
