ROTHBURY, MI – Recreational use of marijuana is legal in Michigan, but that doesn’t mean it’s allowed at the Electric Forest music festival.
Early arrivers at the four-day music festival in Oceana County on Wednesday, June 26, had their cars searched for the now-legal weed. The festival location at Double JJ Resort near Rothbury is private property and private security indicated visitors are not to have marijuana at the event.
However, use of pot at Electric Forest has been fairly commonplace in the past, judging by odors wafting through the forest. Users have kept it on the down-low, and that’s what police expect this year, said Lt. Jeff White with the Michigan State Police Hart Post.
State police are contracted by festival organizers to enforce state law at the festival site. Private security is hired to enforce the policies at Electric Forest, such as the prohibition of such items as glass, open flames, fireworks and golf clubs.
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The Ultimate Guide to Electric Forest 2019
The Ultimate Guide to Electric Forest 2019
The festival, now in its ninth year, officially opens Thursday, June 27, and ends on Sunday, June 30.
“You could smell marijuana at different places in the festival,” White said. “When the troopers are walking by, we honestly don’t see them smoking it. We don’t see a lot of the use, though we smell it.”
Police have not been overly concerned about use of marijuana in the forest, and that likely won’t be different this year, White said.
“However, if you are dealing it, you will be arrested,” White said.
There currently are no legal vendors of recreational marijuana in the state. The state expects to begin accepting applications from potential vendors in October. It’s unclear when legal sales will begin.
State law allows up to 2.5 ounces of weed to be carried on your person, and it cannot be consumed in public spaces or vehicles.
Because this is the first Electric Forest festival since Michigan voters approved recreational use of marijuana last November, White said he’s not sure what troopers will encounter. He said the issue has not come up during police discussions with festival promoters and Double JJ representatives.
“It’s the first time we’ll be confronted with this and we’ll have to see,” he said.
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Credit: www.mlive.com