River of Drugs Blamed on Glastonbury Urinators
Researchers in England studying dangerous levels of ecstasy and cocaine in the Whitelake River believe they've figured out the source --The Glastonbury Festival.
The annual music and performing arts festival attracts about 200,000 people, and scientists believe public urination during the 2019 event is responsible for high levels of drugs found in the river which runs right next to the festival grounds. The BBC reports that concentrations of MDMA and cocaine in the water had quadrupled the week following the festival. A spokesperson for the festival said, "We are aware that the biggest threat to our waterways – and the wildlife for which they provide a habitat – comes from festivalgoers urinating on the land.”
The Glastonbury Festival was cancelled in each of the last two years due to COVID but is scheduled to return next year.
Scott's Thoughts:
- If the levels of drugs in the river quadrupled after the festival, how much is typically in the river before the festival?
- Thousands of drug-using public urinators? Sounds like a European music festival.
- The 2019 Glastonbury Festival featured The Killers, The Cure, Miley Cyrus, Janet Jackson, Billie Eilish, and Sheryl Crow.