Marijuana is legal in Nevada, but not at Electric Daisy Carnival

By Chris Kudialis

Thursday, June 15, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Pack your patience and leave your weed behind for this weekend’s Electric Daisy Carnival.

Illegal drugs and blistering temperatures mix poorly, local authorities warned in advance of the festival. Representatives from Metro Police, Nevada Highway Patrol and organizing group Insomniac Events urged those attending the three-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to stay hydrated and think twice before pill-popping in forecasted temperatures of 105 degrees.

“Be smart and drink a lot of water,” Metro Police Officer Larry Hadfield said. “Party responsibly and stay away from the narcotics.”

The electronic-music event, which features some of the world’s most famous DJs including Kygo, Afrojack, Tiesto and Major Lazer, could have record nightly crowds of 140,000, according to event organizers. EDC, which made its Southern Nevada debut six years ago, begins Friday evening and ends early Monday morning.

Authorities last year made a record 101 felony arrests at the event, all but eight of which were narcotics-related. That’s up from 89 arrests in 2015, 94 arrests in 2014 and 55 arrests in 2013, nearly all felonies for possession of drugs or for DUI.

As many as 1,500 combined representatives from Metro, NHP, other law enforcement agencies and EDC security will work at the speedway this weekend, Hadfield said, including about 400 uniformed and undercover Metro officers.

Trooper Chelsea Stuenkel of NHP said 273 staffers will be deployed in and around festival grounds. The department is bringing officers from as far as Primm, Indian Springs, Mesquite and Pahrump to staff EDC, Stuenkel said.

“Above all, we want people to have a designated driver and not to drive impaired,” Stuenkel said.

As usual, police are also offering amnesty boxes for festivalgoers to deposit illegal drugs at EDC entrance gates before entering the speedway. Hadfield called the boxes “the last chance” for attendees to discard drugs anonymously with no risk of retribution.

Those found with illegal drugs inside the speedway could be arrested, he said. That goes for attendees with marijuana too, which was legalized in Nevada for recreational use last November, but not outside of a personal residence.

“Just leave that behind and enjoy your time there,” Hadfield said.

Hadfield added that wandering off alone or with strangers presents a safety risk for festivalgoers who get lost or become sick.

Six EDC attendees have died since 2011. Last year, Temecula, Calif., resident Kenani Kaimuloa, 20, collapsed while waiting for a bus after Day 3 of the festival, and later died of MDMA and cocaine intoxication, the Clark County Coroner’s Office said.

In 2015, San Francisco resident Nicholas Tom, 24, died of an MDMA overdose on Day 2 of the festival. In 2014, an overdose of Ecstasy contributed to the deaths of Montgomery Tsang, 24, of San Leandro, Calif. and Anthony Anaya, 25, of Everett, Wash.

Medical calls far outnumber arrests and death. To accommodate triple-digit medical calls each year, festival organizers are offering an on-site hospital with beds and treatment for festivalgoers who become ill. While surgery is not available, sick and injured partygoers can receive care from a combined 80 medical teams covering “most medical-related issues” inside the speedway. Those who sustain more serious injuries are taken to local hospitals such as University Medical Center, Hadfield said.

The Metro spokesman said police rarely make arrests related to violent crimes at the festival, as the EDC crowd is generally “laid back and friendly.”

“This isn’t a violent crowd,” Hadfield said. “They just like to party, enjoy themselves and have a good time.”

Stuenkel said drivers near the speedway can expect traffic delays all weekend.

Traffic on Interstate 15 is expected to be congested in both directions as far south as Cheyenne Avenue to the speedway and on Las Vegas Boulevard North from Cheyenne Road, starting Friday afternoon and ending Monday morning.

With ongoing construction on the shoulder of Interstate 15 heading northbound from Craig Road to the speedway, Stuenkel encouraged drivers to use Las Vegas Boulevard North for a faster commute to the speedway.

“We’ve seen more of a backup on the 15 and not as many people utilizing the Las Vegas Boulevard route,” Stuenkel said. “But you’re going to see delays with both because you’re trying to get so many people into one location.”

Stuenkel urged drivers to use caution when driving near the speedway and, if possible, to avoid it altogether.

A representative from Los Angeles-based Insomniac, which owns and operates EDC, was not made available for comment. A festival public relations representative said security along with local authorities will be monitoring a one-mile perimeter around the speedway for the second consecutive year. The security measure was added last year in the wake of the mass shooting at Orlando nightclub Pulse, which left 49 people dead and another 53 injured.