drugs and illegal substances



The dealing in or use of illegal drugs is not condoned by Glastonbury Festival. Drug enforcement laws are as applicable on the Festival site as anywhere else in the country. Police officers will be on-site and will deal with drug offences in accordance with national guidelines. If you deal in drugs, it is likely that you will be arrested. Neither anti-social nor illegal behaviour will be tolerated and participants will leave themselves liable for eviction from the site.

The terms and conditions of entry printed on the back of every ticket state: “You may be searched at the entrance. Any items which the organisers consider may be used in an illegal or offensive manner will be confiscated. Persons suspected of carrying out illegal and / or offensive activities on site may be searched.”

If you bring drugs with you, you risk having them confiscated and possible eviction from the Festival. The police have made big efforts in recent years to crack down on the sale of drugs at the Festival. Those in possession of illegal drugs risk being removed from the Festival site and refused re-admission.

Experimenting with drugs can lead to adverse reactions. The crowds and the sheer size of the Festival can be very frightening and disorientating. If you do take drugs and you become ill, depressed or frightened please ask a steward to direct you to one of the many facilities on site, such as Welfare, Worthy Rest or medical services, which can help and support you.

Polydrug use – using more than one drug at a time – intensifies the effects of the drugs, making them more dangerous. Mixing alcohol alongside other drugs is one of the most common forms of polydrug use and can seriously increase the strength and impact of those substances, increasing the chances of a potentially fatal chemical reaction.

The strength and type of drugs can significantly increase their danger. Drugs like Ecstasy and MDMA have, on average, nearly doubled in strength since 2005, with some pills found to be testing four times stronger than those available twenty years ago. The stronger the drug, the more dangerous its effects. The use of Ketamine – a powerful anaesthetic – can be fatal, particularly when taken alongside other substances.

For more information about drugs, head to Frank, an independent government-funded website offering unbiased facts about drug-use (NB: Glastonbury is not responsible for the content of external websites).

Please note that nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is a contraband good which, under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, is banned at Glastonbury Festival. It is very dangerous to inhale nitrous oxide directly from the canister and if you take too much nitrous oxide you risk falling unconscious and/or suffocating from the lack of oxygen. Please do not bring / use nitrous oxide at Glastonbury Festival.

Worthy Rest

These two new Worthy Rest tents, situated in Silver Hayes and The Park, are places where anyone can go if they need some time away from it all. Hosted by Mind, The Samaritans, SARSAS and iTHINC Harm Reduction team, these organisations are also on hand to provide specialised support, advice and counselling. SARSAS will also be working from a cabin next to Worthy Welfare in Big Ground.

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