Can cannabis be consumed at Burning Man?

Burning Man is an annual festival that usually takes place during the last week of August, in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. No fewer than 50,000 people gather to party and celebrate artistic creation. Over the course of a week, the festival creates a utopian city where participants indulge in a variety of activities, including drug-taking.

«For a lot of people, Burning Man is self-discovery on every level,» explains Rebecca Gasca, president of a cannabis business in Reno, a city near the festival.

The State of Nevada has legalized recreational cannabis last November. As a result, sales recreational cannabis sales began on July 1. Any adult aged 21 or over can now purchase up to 28 grams of cannabis from dispensaries set up for this purpose. But does this mean that cannabis consumption is allowed at Burning Man?

Cannabis remains theoretically illegal at Burning Man

The 2017 edition of Burning Man kicked off this Monday, August 28, and much to the dismay of festival-goers, cannabis consumption is, normally, banned at Burning Man. The reason? Under U.S. federal law, cannabis (both medical and recreational) remains illegal nationwide, including on Black Rock Desert lands that are managed directly by a federal authority, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. 

Burning Man spokeswoman Megan Miller told the local paper. the Reno-Gazette Journal «You're not exempt from federal law at Burning Man, and that goes double this year».

Officials of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management explain that an arrest for cannabis possession can result in a $1,000 fine and a year's imprisonment. However, federal agents have made no arrests for any offenses at previous editions of Burning Man. Sheriff Jerry Allen has stated that this year he will follow Nevada state law, which allows possession of 28g of cannabis or 3.5g of concentrates.

Festival-goers can refuse to have their vehicles searched by law enforcement. But if they refuse to be searched by Burning Man volunteers at the gate, they could be refused entry to the festival.

Mehdi Bautier