Article content

About 15 attendees of this weekend’s Chasing Summer festival were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of drugs or alcohol, Calgary EMS said Monday.

While thousands safely attended the festival, which took place Saturday and Sunday at Max Bell Centre grounds, just over a dozen patients were actually transported to hospital for substance-abuse concerns.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Chasing Summer festival sees 15 hospitalized Back to video

None of those transported are believed to have been abusing opioids, said EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux.

Medical care was provided on site by a private company working closely with EMS crews who took charge of any patients that required hospitalization.

Festival organizers announced last week that attendees would not be permitted to carry their own naloxone kits within festival grounds. Attendees who brought naloxone were asked to leave their kits with the on-site medical team and to collect it when they left.

“We want to ensure that only trained medical professionals administer medications to third parties, so we do not permit guests to carry private naloxone kits within festival grounds,” Colin Mathie, director of health and safety for Chasing Summer, said last week.

At least year’s Chasing Summer festival, 10 people were taken to hospital suffering adverse effects from drugs or alcohol in their systems. During the 2015 event, 17 people were hospitalized.