Chromeo performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2016. Organizers at the festival in Indio say come for the music, not for the marijuana. The drug, although approved by California voters in 2016 for recreation use, is banned from the grounds.
A woman carries a flag bearing marijuana symbols at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio April 12, 2014. .
Yes, the new state law allows you to smoke marijuana on private property and possess about an ounce of weed if you are at least 21.
And yes, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is being held on private property, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
But no, even though marijuana and concerts are as synonymous as brownies and milk, you cannot bring marijuana to the concerts set for April 14-16 and April 21-23. It's not against the law, but it is against the policy set forth by concert promoter Goldenvoice.
Security will place "amnesty boxes" at the entrances where concertgoers who forgot they have that marijuana or meth stash in their backpacks can deposit their contraband, no questions asked.
Police would appreciate it if you didn't try to steal the amnesty boxes.
State laws on drug possession will be enforced inside the gates, Marshall added. But for anyone who overdoses, the emphasis will be on getting him medical attention and not busting him or his friends, Marshall said.
State marijuana laws also say that pot can't be smoked in a public place. But what is a public place? A concert with tens of thousands of fans on private property? That's a question for lawyers, Marshall said.
In Colorado, where in 2012 possession and consumption of marijuana in private were legalized for people at least 21 years old, lawyers are used to dealing with this question.
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra thought allowing patrons to smoke marijuana at its performances would increase ticket sales. So it created a cannabis-themed concert series. Problem was, the Denver city attorney said the concert venue was a public place even though a ticket was required and wanted the symphony to cancel.
Symphony officials were able to strike a deal with the city attorney, however, to stage the concerts by making them invitation-only, rather than open to ticket buyers.
That seems to be the tactic being taken by some Coachella-area entrepreneurs.
Get Lit, to be held at a "secret location" in Indio, is a free event with music, food and pot open to festivalgoers with wristbands who must register on the Get Lit website in advance.
Doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Then there's the blowout that TMZ says is being staged for "VIP guests" by Weedmaps, a mapping service that helps people find marijuana dispensaries and doctors who prescribe it.
The compound, as it is described, will feature two grow houses and five geodesic domes where different strains can be tested.
"So clearly organizers are trying to entice some Coachella-goers to in-house shop, although all weed products are being given away, not sold," TMZ says.
• Smoking marijuana in a private home or at a business licensed for on-site marijuana consumption.
• Possession of up to 28.5 grams (about one ounce) of marijuana and up to 8 grams of concentrated marijuana (such as hash).
• Growing up to six marijuana plants and keeping the marijuana produced by the plants within a private home.
• Giving away to other adults up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and up to 8 grams of concentrated marijuana.
• Smoking marijuana (1) while driving a car, (2) in any public place (other than at a business licensed for on-site consumption), or (3) anywhere that smoking tobacco is prohibited.
• Possession of marijuana on the grounds of a school, day care center, or youth center while children are present.
• Growing in an area that is unlocked or visible from a public place.
• Providing marijuana to minors under the age of 21 for nonmedical use.