Coachella is one of the most popular music festivals in the world and 2018 should be no different, with headliners like Beyonce, The Weeknd and Eminem. This year, the mighty festival’s second weekend landing on 4/20, which is just a sad coincidence because there will be no cannabis allowed on festival grounds, despite California legalization.
It turns out the concert promoter Goldenvoice just said no, even though the concert is on private property. An Indio police sergeant explained, “The promoter has a standing right to the property, and they can determine what can and cannot be brought onto the premises, [just like] you have the right to bear arms, but you don’t have the right to bear arms in my house.”
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It doesn’t help that the town where Coachella is held, Indio, opted to be a dry town. Meaning no dispensaries and no consumption. Even if Coachella wanted to allow smoking within its confines, Indio would be the jay block.
Cannabis became legal in California for adults 21 and over to enjoy on January 1, allowing Californians and tourists to go into dispensaries and purchase marijuana and consume it in private spaces. Coachella clearly doesn’t count, though.
There may be no dispensaries in Indio, but there are in the neighboring towns and savvy Coachella goers will get things started in Cathedral City or Desert Hot Springs. They should also be able to possess small amounts of cannabis, as that is the true lay of the land, but not bring it out in public.
Then again, there are going to be “Amnesty Boxes” at the entrances to put any contraband or drugs in that you may have forgotten to leave behind, so maybe just don’t carry at all if you’re going.
Many excited Coachella attendees likely found out they couldn’t smoke, despite it being 4/20 and despite it being in California, via the FAQ page on Coachella’s site. The answer to whether or not one can imbibe at the festival starts off, “Sorry bro.” It ends with a promise to change the answer if the answer changes, but it doesn’t look like concert goers will be lighting up at 4:20 on 4/20 this year unless they skip out on the afternoon bands.
