As EDC Las Vegas kicks off today, the Victoria’s Voice Foundation is stepping in with a proactive approach to festival safety by giving away naloxone, the nonprofit tells EDM.com.
Victoria’s Voice is hosting a pop-up from 10am to 3pm at the East Tower of the Westgate Las Vegas, where they’ll be offering the opioid overdose reversal medication for free in their goal to combat overdose deaths at music festivals.
Festivalgoers can pick up free doses of naloxone along with educational materials on how to administer it. The pop-up will also offer snacks and water for attendees heading into the weekend’s festivities.
Victoria’s Voice was founded by Jackie and David Siegel after the tragic 2015 loss of their daughter of the same name. The foundation has since has become a prominent national advocate for drug prevention and awareness.
Today’s pop-up is timely considering Nevada has seen a staggering 26% increase in drug overdose deaths, the second-highest nationwide spike behind only Alaska in a one-year period, according to recent CDC data.
The initiative reflects a growing shift in the music industry’s approach to harm reduction at EDM festivals. Insomniac Events has been at the forefront, teaming up with the nonprofit End Overdose on various initiatives, including training tens of thousands of EDC Las Vegas attendees at last year’s festival.
EDC, North America’s largest electronic dance music festival, returns to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from May 16-18.
