An hourlong documentary that the museum has produced in partnership with HBO says that while actual use may not be dramatically up, the culture and comfort level around drug taking have changed, especially among younger visitors.

Casual Use, Serious Risks
Every week, Neeltje Klunder of Event Safety, a first aid provider that can be found at major festivals including Defqon and Mysteryland, hears about drug-related complaints.

She notes that among today's festival-going generation, taking pills is seen as cheaper and easier than alcohol or cigarettes.

"People — get it from someone else, somebody you trust, they'll take a half, they'll take the other half," the other woman says as she listens to the guy describe the drug.

The symptoms treated by first aid workers range from mild but distressing symptoms — like dizziness, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat — to more extreme issues. Klunder is disappointed that drug testing at festivals is prohibited, pointing out that festival-goers are often unaware of the risks and underestimate them.



Ronald van Litsenburg from another large first aid provider, EMS, also says the number of drug-related cases hasn't spiked, but normalization is on the rise. About 40 in 10,000 festivalgoers visit a first-aid center, and roughly one-third of those — 12 people — have symptoms directly related to drugs.