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Following a number of drug-related deaths at festivals held in its jurisdiction, Southern California is currently grappling with how to prevent further fatalities as festival season gets underway. Rave culture in this region is in a transition phase, and it's unclear exactly where things will go. Last year Los Angeles County threatened to ban raves held on county-owned property, although they ended up forming a regulatory committee instead, and now the Inland Empire city of San Bernardino is having its own troubles.Last Tuesday, San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford announced a motion to ban all "rave-style" events at the San Manuel Amphitheater—the largest outdoor music venue in the country—the SB Sun reported. The 65,000-capacity venue is located in the neighborhood of Devore, 60 miles from LA, and since 2013 has played host to Live Nation subsidiary Insomniac's Nocturnal Wonderland and Beyond Wonderland events, after getting a contract with the San Bernardino Country Board of Supervisors to hold four electronic dance shows a year at the venue.Rutherford will advocate for the ban at the May 24 City Board of Supervisors meeting, following complaints from local residents about excessive noise, heavy traffic, and drug-related deaths, of which two have happened at the location, including a 22-year-old man at Nocturnal Wonderland in 2013 and another 22-year-old at in 2015 at Beyond Wonderland. She hopes to take advantage of a provision in the county's contract with Live Nation that allows it to be terminated in the event of public safety hazards or complaints from residents.This isn't a bid to ban raves in the entire city, though. Previously to the Amphitheater, events were held at the National Orange Show Events Center, but similar complaints from residents forced a relocation. As Stefanie Jones from the drug policy reform nonprofit, Drug Policy Alliance, argued in a recent blogpost, California's current rave debacle raises the question about the long-term solutions available to California's governing bodies.So we ask: what are genuinely effective actions we can take to stop drug deaths at festivals?Follow Alexander on Twitter.
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