Coachella Reaffirms Marijuana Ban

AP Photo – Coachella 2018

Recreational marijuana may now be legal in California, but, likely to the disappointment of many fans wanting to celebrate 4/20, Coachella is remaining firm in its ban on cannabis. 

Even though the recreational use of marijuana was legalized, state law still prohibits use outside of the privacy of your own home, meaning cannabis-use in a public setting such as Coachella is still against the law.  

Indio, Calif., police will be stationed outside of the festival with “amnesty cans” that festivalgoers can use to dispose of marijuana and illegal substances – without any concerns of getting in trouble – before they walk through Coachella’s gates.

Attendees who are caught selling marijuana or narcotics inside the festival, however, will be arrested, an Indio police officer told The Desert Sun. 

In a recent survey of more than 1,000 festivalgoers conducted by secondary ticketing company TickPick, 38.5 percent of participants who attended Coachella said they used marijuana at the festival. 

It’s historically uncommon for attendees to be arrested for drug-related offenses at the event, as The Sun reports that last year 65 were arrested on the first weekend of Coachella and 75 the second weekend. 

That may seem like a lot at first glance, but it’s just a drop in the bucket when considering the 250,000 who attended the event last year. 

The Weeknd, Beyoncé and Eminem are taking the stage once again for the festival’s second weekend, with additional sets including Tyler, The Creator, SZA, Portugal. The Man, Vince Staples, Fleet Foxes, The War On Drugs, Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis and many others.