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Coachella Promoter’s Long List of Anti-Cannabis Donations Raises Eyebrows

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]W[/dropcap]hile profiting from tens of thousands of festival-goers who attend Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival each year, many of whom are cannabis consumers, the festival’s promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) is simultaneously funding and fueling the anti-cannabis movement under Anschutz’s private family foundation. AEG owner Phillip Anschutz donations to anti-cannabis organizations stretch back decades.

Phillip Anschutz started donating to Coloradans Against Legal Marijuana since at least the year 2000. According to its tax returns, the Anschutz Foundation in 2015 donated $50,000 to Smart Colorado. In 2016 it also donated $50,000 to SAM Inc. (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) and $110,000 to its sister organization Smart Colorado, according to a lengthy investigational summary by Freedom Leaf which feature screenshots of 2015 and 2016 contributions by the organization.

The festival’s General Rules & Info clearly states “No drugs or drug paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana products.” No cannabis is reaffirmed under its Camping Rules as well.

If the festival’s official stance on cannabis wasn’t clear yet, the festival’s FAQ is there to remind you again. “Sorry bro,” a FAQ on the festival’s official website states. “Marijuana or marijuana products aren’t allowed inside the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Even in 2018 and beyond. If that changes we will update this answer.” Some cannabis consumers felt the tone of the FAQ was condescending.

Despite the rules, local newspapers such as the Desert Sun offers a list of where you can purchase cannabis legally while attending Coachella.

AEG bowed under pressure after its controversial anti-LGBT donations were exposed, but its anti-cannabis donations continued. The Anschutz Foundation is well invested in drug rehabilitation centers such as the CeDAR Drug Treatment Center, beginning with a $3 million-dollar donation.

Cannabis consumers question the ethics of the foundation behind a festival that’s become synonymous with cannabis, as the generational equivalent to Woodstock.

 

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