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MUHC warns drug users ahead of Montreal festival season

Click to play video: 'Addressing drug use at Montreal’s outdoor festivals'
Addressing drug use at Montreal’s outdoor festivals
Osheaga and Île Soniq are just around the corner and medical experts are warning festivalgoers about the dangers of drugs and overdosing. Global's Felicia Parrillo reports – Jul 26, 2017

As the city gears up for a few weekends of music festivals, a specialist at the McGill University Health Centre is speaking out about the best way to deal with festival-goers who choose to take drugs.

Dr.Sophie Gosselin, a medical toxicologist at the MUHC, says around this time of the year , the hospital usually see’s a higher number of people treated for drug use.

“It’s a moment where we see a peak use, of all sorts of recreational substances. Be it alcohol, cannabis, or the other, speed, or amphetamines. So yes, we do see more,” Gosselin said.

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She says the hospital cannot stop festival-goers from using drugs, so their goal is to raise awareness about the risks and offer tips on how to use them safely.

“Bring food, make sure that you drink, not just water, but things with energy and glucose,” Gosselin said.

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“Make sure you know where the medical tent is. And make sure that if you are going to use, try to use sparingly and wait until you feel the effect of what you’ve just taken, before you take on extra.”

READ MORE: Montreal woman calls for change after allegedly being drugged at Osheaga

Global news reached out to Evenko, who promotes both Osheaga and ÎleSoniq, for an interview but no one was available for comment.

In a statement, Evenko says it has recently introduced new security measures like on-site intervention teams and mandatory searches for everyone who enters the site.

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