DanceSafe

DanceSafe is a 501(c)3 public health organization promoting health and safety within the nightlife and electronic music community. Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998 by Emanuel Sferios, DanceSafe quickly grew into a national organization with chapters in cities across North America. DanceSafe has two fundamental operating principles: harm reduction and peer-based, popular education. Combining these two principles has enabled us to create successful, peer-based educational programs to reduce drug misuse and empower young people to make healthy, informed lifestyle choices. We are known for bringing adulterant screening (a.k.a., “pill testing,” “drug checking”) to the rave and nightlife community in the U.S., and for distributing unbiased educational literature describing the effects and risks associated with the use of various drugs. DanceSafe started a lab testing service in 1999 which was handed off to Erowid in 2001. Anonymous lab analysis is now available through Erowid's DrugsData.org We neither condone nor condemn drug use. Rather, we provide a non-judgmental perspective to help support people who use drugs in making informed decisions about their health and safety. Our initiatives and services include: -Providing safe spaces to engage in conversations about health, drug use, and personal safety; -Providing free water and electrolytes to prevent dehydration and heatstroke; -Providing free safe sex tools to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the spread of STIs; -Providing free ear plugs to prevent hearing loss; -Providing honest, fact-based, unbiased information on drug effects and potential harms to empower users to make informed decisions; -Offering a nonjudgmental first-point of contact to risky or challenging situations; -Offering drug checking services to prevent overdose and death; and -Working with promoters and local stakeholders to advocate for safety first approaches.