“Old School” Harm Reduction for a New Era of Dance Music Clubbing: Drinking water in the night-time economy
I have just been perusing the 2015 Revised Guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 (yep, I really am that geeky) and I recalled the fight that dance music clubbers went through (supported by London Drug Policy Forum, Mixmag, etc) to get this valuable harm reduction practice enshrined in law:
Free potable water
10.47 The responsible person (see paragraph 10.41) must ensure that free potable water is provided on request to customers where it is reasonably available on the premises. What is meant by reasonably available is a question of fact; for example, it would not be reasonable to expect free tap water to be available in premises for which the water supply had temporarily been lost because of a broken mains water supply. However, it may be reasonable to expect bottled water to be provided in such circumstances.
With Easter Bank Holiday 2015 shaping up to be a HUGE one on the clubbing calender, we should remember some of the “old school” harm reduction messages.
Sip water, nip outside if you’re getting too hot, and tell someone immediately if you feel ill.
Happy Easter all
Karenza x