[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]O[/dropcap]n Dec. 28, 2018 champion boxer Mike Tyson and Tyson Ranch announced the Kind Music Festival, a cannabis-themed music festival featuring a variety of top acts.
The festival is coming to Desert Hot Springs, California on Feb. 23. R&B icon Miguel will headline the festival, and other acts have been added to the bill including Chicano Batman, Yonee, All My Friends Hate Me and Starcrawler. The festival will be held at the future site of Tyson’s ambitious 412-acre cannabis-friendly ranch. The festival will feature “Chillville” with 100 specialty bean bags, an obstacle course, a bar and a vendor village.
There will be a catch, however, and some may consider it a buzzkill. “KMF salutes California’s progressive stance on cannabis and its updated recreational/medical laws that go into effect on January 1, 2019,” the festival’s website states. “However there will be no sales or giveaways of cannabis products at the festival…we look forward to making that a reality in the near future!”
City officials confirmed to The Press-Enterprise that consumption of cannabis is not permitted at the event. “We know at the state level that there are permits and such that would need to be in place for a cannabis event and those are not in place,” said city spokeswoman Doria Wilms on Wednesday. “So, while we are cannabis-friendly, and we very much support this concert, this concert is not permitted to be a cannabis consumption event.”
Even though Assembly Bill 2020 authorizes cannabis consumption at events, they still must receive local approval and the Kind Music Festival has not received the green light from Desert Hot Springs officials. Tyson, who went vegan over 10 years ago, has grown to become an avid advocate for cannabis in recent years. He also grows hemp in West Virginia. Tyson Ranch is planned to include glamping sites, cultivation, processing and an entertainment complex.