GoFundSafety: ANKORS Harm Reduction Tent Needs Our Help

All you have to do is take one glance at our site to notice that we’re big fans of two things here: harm reduction and Shambhala Music Festival (and particularly those two things together). Since 2002 ANKORS (AIDS Network Kootenay Outreach and Support Society) has been the group behind pill and powder testing as well as other harm reduction tools at Shambhala Music Festival.

This year, in response to the growing concern over Fentanyl-laced substances, they want to up their game by purchasing a Mass Spectrometer and HPLC-UV (High Performance Liquid Chromotography – Ultra Violet), and they’ve set up a GoFundMe to help the process. These machines are capable of determining the presence of Fentanyl and eventually capable of determining all substances in a product.

https://www.dancemusicnw.com/ankors-harm-reduction-gofundme/

But why should we worry about Fentanyl? It’s an opioid 30-50 times more potent than heroin, and those are numbers that no one’s body is prepared to deal with. It’s been found in heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and even club drugs. What we’re saying is, it’s around and everyone needs to be careful.

If you’ve listened to the news at all the last few months, you already know that particularly in the B.C. area there has been a serious problem with Fentanyl-laced substances. Enough so that B.C.’s chief heath officer has declared a public health emergency, a status typically used when there’s a contagious disease outbreak.

“It’s not just heroin and cocaine and some of the harder drugs. It’s in club drugs, and it’s in ecstasy. It’s in all types of drugs that people from all walks of society are using. People are being affected everywhere in the city.” – Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer

Everyone please, be safe this summer. Know that there are extra dangerous factors involved currently, and it’s more important than ever to test before you ingest (if you choose to ingest, of course.)

If you’re interested in what goes on at the ANKORS tent, as well as what some of the current testing limitations are, check out this video:

And if you want to help keep those at Shambhala and anyone at the ANKORS tent safe, please consider donating to their GoFundMe. They’re still hovering just above the halfway point!

Bonus: The fund is in CAD so your USD goes extra far!