Cannabis and concerts go together as much as alcohol and concerts. At almost any concert you attend, it isn’t uncommon for that fragrant cloud of cannabis smoke to mysteriously make its way across the crowd. Many times, someone will fire up a joint, take a couple of quick hits and pass it on to the next person until it is no more. It makes it difficult for security to pinpoint where the cannabis is coming from. In many cases, security just doesn’t care as long as you’re not being flamboyant with it. However, in most instances consuming cannabis at a concert is illegal. Some folks in Illinois are hoping to change this soon. Cannabis companies are already marketing at music festivals and concerts. They’re hoping that one day they will be able to go beyond marketing and actually sell cannabis products. For now, marketing consists of creating eye-catching booths and giving away swag that promotes a cannabis dispensary or specific brand.
Music and cannabis both have something in common. They are both very therapeutic. There are a lot of people who enjoy concerts and the concert setting once they’re there. However, it is typical for many concert-goers or festival-goers to experience anxiety over crowds. Many people choose to take the legal option of consuming alcohol to help give them a little liquid courage and lower their anxiety levels. More and more people, however, are choosing cannabis over alcohol at festivals and concerts.
Alcohol and Cannabis at Events
Cannabis produces a very different effect or buzz than alcohol does. Someone could attend a concert or event and consume cannabis. Someone could attend a concert or event and consume alcohol. The effects of the two differ greatly. Cannabis consumers tend to be laid back, chill, and on the hunt for munchies and beverages. Alcohol consumers, on the other hand, are known for getting wild. It isn’t uncommon for intoxicated women to expose themselves and for intoxicated men to think they are the creator’s gift to women. Sometimes intoxication leads to altercations, and alcohol-fueled fights break out. In an effort to give people an option in Illinois, the Local Cannabis Licensing Act was proposed last year to the Illinois General Assembly. If passed, it could allow municipalities and counties special licenses that would allow for cannabis sales and consumption at events.
Right now, dispensaries like Curaleaf are limited to holding promotional booths that give away tote bags and rolling papers and allow the ability to pre-order products to be picked up at the local Curaleaf Dispensary. With the right licensing available, cannabis sales could be made on-site at concerts, festivals, and events. The CEO of Curaleaf, Matt Darren, was quoted telling media sources, “The notion that they’re not legally allowed to consume cannabis at some of these shows when they’re freely consuming alcohol is really not consistent with where our culture is at and what people want. Ultimately, we are hopeful that some of these rules are going to change to allow for this to take place legally and professionally in settings that are appropriate. You can now drink a cannabis beverage that gives you the experience of drinking at a concert, yet it is not going to give you a hangover the next morning to go to work.”
The senior vice president of marketing for Green Thumb, Ryan Marek, pointed out the elephant in the room saying you have people “who are openly consuming (cannabis) whether it’s allowed or not. People are smuggling it in their socks, their bras, their pockets, you name it. You can sell beer and liquor on site. One day we’d like to see the same thing happen with cannabis.”
Cannabis gives people an option to enjoy a level of intoxication not offered by alcohol. A Monday concert mixed with a couple of drinks can turn into a Tuesday hangover. A Monday concert with a little bit of cannabis turns into an amazing story to tell on Tuesday at work. The side effects of cannabis are typically increased appetite, laughter, happiness, dry eyes, and dry mouth. The side effects of alcohol all too often involve praying to the porcelain Gods (puking in the toilet) or waking up with a stranger. With all the germs in today’s society, neither one of the above scenarios are a good idea.
Where There’s Cannabis at Events Usually, Alcohol Isn’t Allowed
There are places that hold small concerts and shows where cannabis is allowed. Typically at these events, it’s one or the other, meaning if cannabis is allowed, no alcohol is sold or permitted on site. It’s sort of like adults aren’t really adults and need to be told what to do in order to have a good time. People are getting tired of this treatment. This type of you can only have one thing or the other thinking is what has led to a boom in underground rave parties. These parties are hosted in random locations and pretty much allow anything to happen on-site as long as you’re controlling yourself. Underground rave parties make tens of thousands of dollars in a night, sometimes even more, and pay no taxes. They oftentimes present unfavorable conditions for would-be partygoers. Horror stories of people overdosing at these events and being tossed in alleyways and on the side of the road are in abundance.
By allowing people the right to the option to choose to consume cannabis at events, lawmakers could make festivals, concerts, and legal events more attractive. It would also make them more lucrative for everyone involved by simply allowing cannabis sales. Would you be more apt to attend concerts, shows, and festivals if cannabis sales and consumption were permitted? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Cannabis is medicine. It helps people fight pain, depression, and anxiety, helping them to spread their wings and allowing their social butterfly side to show its beauty. Why would we deny people this? Oh yeah, that’s right. It’s because cannabis sales and consumption at public events like concerts are still illegal in states like Illinois. Hopefully, this will change in the future, and then concertgoers will be allowed to purchase and consume cannabis at Illinois music festivals, concerts, and shows.
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