The Vilnius Night Office not only cares about the cultural diversity and safety of nightlife but also aims to dispel myths associated with nightlife culture. In response to the comments made during the May 16, 2024, press conference of the Drug, Tobacco, and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD) titled “Presentation of Drug Research Results at Music Festivals” and the subsequent public discussions, Vilnius Night Office reached out to NTAKD to ask if this is the official position of the institution and what scientific evidence supports this stance. (We remind you that during the conference, a department representative suggested “reaching an agreement with performers to select appropriate music that does not encourage psychoactive substance use.” When asked which music, in the department’s opinion, promotes drug use, she pointed to more intense music. “More intense music is strongly associated with psychoactive substance use. <…> Electronic music is the one associated with drug use.”) NTAKD clarified their position, stating that event organizers should be mindful of creating a safe environment and maintained their recommendation to choose the music played at events more responsibly. The Vilnius Night Office disagrees with this recommendation and emphasises that a causal link between music and psychoactive substance use has not been proven, and this issue should be approached holistically.
Citing several studies on the prevalence of electronic dance music (EDM) and psychoactive substance use, NTAKD noted a “significant correlation between EDM events and higher levels of drug use compared to other music genres.” The department’s response indicated that this correlation could be influenced by the nature of the events, the social environment, and the music itself.
Vilnius Night Office stresses that psychoactive substance use is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. There are many reasons why individuals use psychoactive substances. According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs, the environment is an important factor influencing drug use. It is acknowledged that the nightlife environment is associated with health and social issues, such as drug use and mixing, drinking/drugged driving, sexual harassment, accidents, aggressive behavior, and violence, among others. When attending a music festival or other mass event, individuals enter an unusual environment where subcultural thinking, a specific genre of music, and other factors may influence decisions related to psychoactive substance use. While research shows a correlation between EDM events and substance use, the focus should be on the environment’s various influences on attendees rather than the specifics of the music genre. The department’s recommendation for event organizers to choose “appropriate music” that “does not encourage” substance use is misapplied and lacks evidence that electronic dance music causally encourages drug use.
NTAKD admits that the description of “intense” music was inaccurate and emphasizes that the department’s specialists, when presenting research results, focused on the cooperation of responsible institutions to ensure a safe environment for festivalgoers and the general public.
Vilnius Night Office is ready to collaborate to ensure the safety of entertainment venues and recommends that responsible institutions avoid using statements that stigmatize nightlife and music genres. The nightlife environment should not be demonized; rather, attention should be focused on implementing effective measures that meet the needs of the public.
