For 35 per cent of respondents,and 41 per cent of drug users,fear of police becoming involved was a deterrent. Other barriers included not knowing where to find help (20 per cent of respondents) and concern about family or friends finding out (15 per cent).
Dr Jonathan Brett,a drug and alcohol specialist who co-authored the study,said the results indicated there needed to be better dialogue between police and the public.
“We need to rethink the black-and-white policy of ‘say no to drugs’,” he said.
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The survey was conducted with 1229 people across six large one-day music festivals in the summer of 2019-20. More than 80 per cent of respondents were under the age of 26.
“They are hypothetical situations ... but the power of the study is they were reporting it at the event,so they were in that frame of mind,” Brett said.
The findings were consistent with several studies abroad,which have linked “prohibition-based drug policies” to a fear of criminal sanctions inhibiting seeking drug treatment.