Health and safety is definitely at the forefront of our biggest concerns with the Electronic Dance Music community as a whole. The main question is how are we going to stem the tide of injury and deaths at music festivals if we continue with the status quo? Well, we can make a huge difference to by ending insufficient drug policies that have tied the hands of many of the concert promoters in the US. This also applies to all genres of music because, lets face it, EDM isn’t the only community that has recreational drug use at festivals.
By signing the petition you are urging congress to allow promoters to institute measures that would be greatly effective in reducing harm at festivals and concerts alike. In the petitions letter that you will sign it states…
Dear Members of Congress,
I urge you to enact legislation to amend the 2003 Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (aka the RAVE Act) to ensure that music venue owners and event organizers can implement common sense safety measures to protect their patrons and reduce the risk of medical emergencies, including those associated with drug use, without fear of prosecution by federal authorities.
As the law currently stands, many owners and organizers are reluctant to institute such measures, fearing they may be accused of “maintaining a drug involved premises” under the Act, and thus opening themselves to criminal or civil prosecution. Clarifying the original intent of the Act will ensure that the Act can no longer be misinterpreted in ways that jeopardize public safety.
Respectfully,
(your signature)
The reason it is referred to as the as the RAVE act is because of its original title, “Reducing Americas Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act”, when it was adopted by congress in 2003. A campaign that was led by Vice President Joe Biden. The law was intended to address a growing problem in the late 1990’s when underground rave promoters frequently encouraged the use of illegal drugs. At the time, it was an expansion of the Crack House laws of the 1980’s which would give prosecutors a new tool in going after these nefarious promoter agencies. Now that the problem of the late 1990’s has virtually dissipated, it’s time to amend the law.
The campaign to amend the RAVE act began with one Dede Goldsmith in response to the one year anniversary of her daughter Shelley’s death. Shelley had attended a festival in Virginia and had consumed Ecstasy. She did not die of an overdose, but from heatstroke. Dede’s goal is to take a “safety first” approach to the overlying problem with these events rather than have another parent experience the pain of losing a child.
Shelley was an amazingly bright young girl. She was a good student and loving daughter. She wanted nothing more in the world than to spread love. A true raver at heart. Here are a list of her accolades:
- Her first year at UVA, she helped refugees learn conversational English.
- In support of a close friend, she advocated for a gay-straight alliance club at her high school (which in a rural area created a tremendous amount of push back, including threats of a law suit against her personally).
- When her Dad was undergoing chemo treatment, she baked cupcakes for the other cancer patients.
- She organized an ongoing volunteer program through the high school to staff the local food bank on a predictable basis.
- During the 2010 Queen of Hearts American Heart Association campaign, she personally raised $11,300.
Losing a wonderful person is a downright tragedy. We need to get this bill amended so that we can all enjoy a safe environment to enjoy our music. Get your friends and family involved and sign the petition. If you want to learn more about the campaign, Shelley, or sign the petition, just follow this link: www.amendtheraveact.org.
Lets not lose one more amazing person like this.
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