Cannabis was recently legalized for recreational use in the state of California, but one of the largest music festivals in the state just announced that the changing laws would not affect their policy on the substance, and that cannabis use will be prohibited at this year’s event.
A notice on the FAQ portion of their website answered the question, “Hey since Marijuana is legal now, that means I can use it at Coachella right?” With the cringeworthy reply of, “Sorry bro. Marijuana or marijuana products aren’t allowed inside the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Even in 2018 and beyond. If that changes we will update this answer.”
The page linked to an article at dailynews.com where Indio police Sgt. Dan Marshall explained that this was a decision that the promoters made.
“The promoter has a standing right to the property, and they can determine what can and cannot be brought onto the premises, (for instance) you have the right to bear arms, but you don’t have the right to bear arms in my house,” Marshall said.
According to Digital Music News, even medical marijuana patients will not be able to use their medicine at the festival but will be forced to leave it in a box for the duration of the event. Interestingly enough, the festival will continue to serve alcohol, and be sponsored by alcohol companies, while it is now a generally accepted fact that alcohol is far more dangerous and harmful than cannabis.
The owner of the corporation responsible for the festival, Philip Anschutz, is a very controversial figure who has been rumored to make large contributions to prohibitionist and anti-LGBT organizations. Anschutz vehemently denied these claims in a recent statement, saying that “Recent claims published in the media that I am anti-LGBTQ are nothing more than fake news — it is all garbage. I unequivocally support the rights of all people without regard to sexual orientation. We are fortunate to employ a wealth of diverse individuals throughout our family of companies, all of whom are important to us — the only criteria on which they are judged is the quality of their job performance; we do not tolerate discrimination in any form. Both The Anschutz Foundation and I contribute to numerous organizations that pursue a wide range of causes. Neither I nor the Foundation fund any organization with the purpose or expectation that it would finance anti-LGBTQ initiatives, and when it has come to my attention or the attention of The Anschutz Foundation that certain organizations either the Foundation or I have funded have been supporting such causes, we have immediately ceased all contributions to such groups.”
However, documents disclosed from the anti-cannabis group Smart Colorado shows that the Broadmoor, a resort in Colorado Springs owned by Anschutz made a contribution to their campaign to keep recreational marijuana from passing in Colorado.
Anschutz has yet to make a statement on Coachella’s cannabis policy.
This is content that I created for a website that I write for called The Mind Unleashed:
http://themindunleashed.com/2018/01/coachella-announces-cannabis-still-banned-festival-even-though-legal-now.html
(sources for article are hyperlinked at the site above)
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John Vibes is an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. He also has a publishing company where he offers a censorship free platform for both fiction and non-fiction writers. John is currently battling cancer , and will be working to help others through his experience, if you wish to contribute to his treatments consider subscribing to his podcast to support at https://www.patreon.com/johnvibes