Lucid Planet Radio with Dr. Kelly: Raving Safely: Enhancing Wellness and Reducing Stigma in Electronic Music Culture, with Missi Woolridge from DanceSafe

Thisweek, Dr. Kelly welcomes Missi Woolridge, the director of Dance Safe, a publichealth organization promoting health and safety within the nightlife andelectronic music community. DanceSafe has two fundamental operating principles:harm reduction and peer-based, popular education. Combining these twoprinciples has enabled us to create successful, peer-based educational programsto reduce drug misuse and empower young people to make healthy, informedlifestyle choices. We are known for bringing adulterant screening (a.k.a.,“pill testing,” “drug checking”) to the rave and nightlife community in theU.S., and for distributing unbiased educational literature describing theeffects and risks associated with the use of various drugs.

Missi has been the executive director has been a member ofthe electronic music community for years and brings her personal experiencesand educational background to DanceSafe. She envisions a community where harmreduction services and drug checking can openly be provided free of stigma andprosecution because it is morally and medically negligent to not provide aperson with resources and services that could potentially save their life.

Join us aswe discuss how the needs for safety within the dance music community haveevolved since DanceSafe was funded in 1998. Learn more about the political andsocial hurdles faced by both DanceSafe and the electronic dance music communityas a whole, as well as the role that prohibition plays in DanceSafe's work, andhow you can get involved in the organization.