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Drug Use At Woodstock

In addition to being a Festival in which attendees searched for unity and peace, Woodstock was also an event in which drug use was very prevalent. Drugs were almost an essential part of the Woodstock experience and brought attendees closer together. An article that interviewed Woodstock attendees states that: “[m]ost of the participants regarded the drugs as an essential part of the scene — like flags at a Fourth of July celebration” (Americana 1). The use of all sorts of drugs, especially the use of psychedelic drugs, were a casualty at the music festival of 1969. Although drug use at Woodstock is often referred to as a myth, drug usage was commonly used by attendees such as fans, as well as performers. Not only did the attendees use psychedelic drugs, but many of the food truck workers at the festival did as well. When buying food at Woodstock, attendees and food truck employees often traded in food for drugs. In addition to the use of drugs by workers at Woodstock, the festival even included medical tents for those who experienced extremely bad “trips” or overdoses while using the psychedelic drugs that were so widely prominent at the festival. These tents were often referred to as the “freak out tents” (Garvin 1). Another Woodstock attendee, Joey Reynolds, explains his experience with drug use at the festival saying, “I was camped out in the woods at the top of the field and there were all these paths with names like Far Out Path and Groovy Way. At the intersection there were people selling pot, acid and hash. But I didn’t see any heroin or cocaine or anything like that.” (Sclafani 1). While the use of Opioids stayed very minimal during the Festival, the use of psychedelics such as mushrooms and LSD were very common. The use of drugs at Woodstock were very common and many people said they had a positive influence on attendees. They brought people together in unity, which was said by many to be the ultimate goal of Woodstock as a whole. The use of drugs and drug dealing brought concert goers together in many ways. In fact many attendees stated that drugs were not necessarily dealt at the festival, but more often shared and willingly given to friends and strangers for no cost at all. Drug use at Woodstock was extremely prevalent and many attendees even spoke of it as a necessity to getting the full Woodstock experience.