While law enforcement agencies in Tennessee warn the public about fentanyl-laced drugs in the wake of several overdose deaths, one company is focusing on making testing kits available at music festivals, including Bonnaroo.

The 18th annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival kicks off Thursday in Manchester, Tennessee, and it comes in the wake of advisories regarding the deadly drug fentanyl. 

Metro Nashville police said at least 10 people have died from a drug overdose since May 30t, and in five of those deaths a white or brown powder was found at the scene. 

“Tox screens are pending, but we know drug dealers are mixing heroin & cocaine with cheaper & deadly fentanyl,” police tweeted. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic, cheap-to-produce, incredibly potent opioid. For most people, two milligrams is a lethal dose.

Overdoses are associated with illicitly made fentanyl. lt can be mixed into heroin or cocaine to make those drugs more potent.

“More people are dying right now from fentanyl overdoses than they were at the peak of the AIDS crisis,” said Adam Auctor, founder and CEO of Bunk Police, a Nebraska-based test kit company. “More people under the age of 55 are dying from opiates than they are from any other cause, and this includes car accidents.” 

Founded in 2011, Bunk Police has joined organizations such as DanceSafe in providing drug checking services, including fentanyl testing strips, at music festivals around the country.

“We’re trying to keep people from overdosing, we’re trying to keep people aware that there’s the potential for adulterated substances that could severely harm them or even kill them,” Auctor said.  

The effort to reduce harm from adulterated substances at music festivals is not new and has been accepted at many such events across the world. Some U.S. festivals have begun working with organizations to provide drug checking kits, but there are huge exceptions. 

“This is kind of what we do. … We take up the slack in the events that do not allow it, or ignore them or ignore us,” Auctor said. “And we go there anyway so we set up and distribute test kits because it’s something that needs to happen. It’s 100% necessary, especially now in the age of the fentanyl crisis.”

For Bonnaroo, Bunk Police is planning “a peaceful yet firm protest” to bring attention to the need for such kits, which are considered illegal drug paraphernalia in Tennessee. 

Drug testing kits and Tennessee

According to the Tennessee code on drug paraphernalia, items defined as paraphernalia include those that “test, analyze” a controlled substance.

A violation results in a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by no more than 11 months, 29 days in jail or a fine up to $2,500 or both. 

“The thing with paraphernalia laws, not only in Tennessee but more or less nationwide, they are so broad that they pretty much … if you had a toaster that, you know, people were using for drug manufacturing or use or anything, packaging then that would be drug paraphernalia so more or less anything would be drug paraphernalia in the right situation,” Auctor said. 

Substance testing kits are not illegal on a national level though. The federal definition of drug paraphernalia does not include items that identify, test or analyze controlled substances. 

“The paraphernalia laws, I’m not sure when they were written in Tennessee, but a lot of these states, they’ve been in the books since the ’80s or even the ’70s, so they need to be updated,” Auctor said. “It’s gonna take a lot of time and effort to do that, and we’re trying to gain support.” 

The Drug Policy Alliance has been lobbying for access to drug checking equipment, recently leading to changes in Maryland. In Colorado, lobbyists from DanceSafe pushed an effort to remove drug checking equipment from the state’s drug paraphernalia definition.   

“Right now, we just experienced Colorado changing their laws on paraphernalia, we just experienced Maryland changing their laws on paraphernalia,” Auctor said. “So it is happening state by state. That’s because a lot of these states are seeing this huge fentanyl issue.” 

The Bunk Police protest at Bonnaroo

Auctor says Bunk Police had been allowed to provide drug checking kits at the Tennessee festival in years past, but in the last couple of years they have been escorted out and treated like criminals by officials.

The Bunk Police protest, planned for Thursday and Friday afternoon, aims to promote efforts to reduce adverse effects and comes in response to being thrown out in previous years. 

“We’re trying to bring attention to the issue and have them join us and showing that there’s a problem and that Bonnaroo could, you know, take action and allow this harm reduction effort, which could allow for a safe environment for the patrons,” Auctor said. 

According to a post from a Bunk Police Reddit account, the company will have signs that say “Drug Test Kits Save Lives” and “This Event Bans Life-Saving Services.”

Auctor said they are planning on being visible, he’s expecting potentially hundreds of people, and the protest has had a good response on social media. 

“In every other instance where we tried to make a stand at Bonnaroo they’ve been able to privately remove us from the property. This time they would have to do so, so very publicly,” he said. 

Auctor also said they are planning on livestreaming the protest. 

“If they decide to come and throw us off the property, that is not something that’s just going to be agreed to. They will have to put me in handcuffs and remove me from the property,” Auctor said. “If they need to arrest me, that’s what needs to happen. It’s time for us to make a stand.”  

How to help during an overdose

If there is an immediate health crisis, people are encouraged to call 911 or go to the medical tents throughout the campgrounds at Bonnaroo. 

Every Plaza in the campgrounds contains a medical tent. The primary medical compound can be found to the left of the VIP Tollbooth entrance, at the end of Woodland Avenue.

According to the Bonnaroo website, “Bonnaroo medical tents are a safe haven. Our medical and safety staff is here to help you with any needs throughout the festival. Please keep in mind that anything you say here stays here and all information given to staff is kept confidential.”

In 2014, Tennessee passed the Good Samaritan Law, allowing residents to become trained in the use of naxolone, a medicine that can help sustain the life of someone overdosing until more complete medical care is available.

For more information on how to become trained in the use of Naxolone, click here.

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