Cannabis was legalised in the State of Colorado in 2012 and the first shops commercializing it opened in the beginning of this year. According to The Independent, more than half of Colorado voters believe legalizing recreational marijuana has been good for the state. At the same time, the newspaper reports that the authorities have got serious concerns due to the consumption of inappropriate dosages, either by inexperience or confusion. A college student died last month when he jumped from his balcony, after consuming six times the recommended dosage.
In the middle of all this, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has announced their brand new “Classical Cannabis: the high note series”. This is a series of concerts at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where patrons will be allowed to consume cannabis. Not in their seats and during the concerts, though, but in a separate area. And it´ll be a BYOC policy (meaning, a “Bring Your Own Cannabis”). And people are also advised not to drive, “due to the nature of the event”, but to use alternative ways of transport. Actually, it is worth reading the disclaimer on the orchestra´s website:
"Attendees of the event must be at least 21 years of age and must read and agree to the Event Disclaimer. The purchaser, holder and/or user of this reservation acknowledges that this event is being held on private property and, only individuals with paid reservations may enter. Participant understands that attendees may use marijuana at this event, as is their right under Colorado law. Cannabis will not be sold at the event, however, and the price of the reservation is entirely unrelated to whether one chooses to use cannabis or not. Those who choose to use cannabis assume any and all risk associated with such use. Information about the health effects of marijuana are available on the State of Colorado website. Participants are advised that it remains illegal under Colorado law to drive while under the influence of marijuana. Participant hereby agrees to release, hold harmless, and indemnify the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and their owners, partners, employees, directors, officers, agents, affiliates and related entities from any and all claims by or on behalf of Participant arising directly or indirectly out of Participant’s use of THC and premises. This release includes claims and liabilities arising from any cause whatsoever, including, but not limited to, negligence on the part of CSO. This release is effective on the date Participant purchases the event reservation.”
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| Red Rocks Amphitheater |
Why would an orchestra want to do this, I kept asking myself as I was
reading all this. Well, according to its executive director,
“Part of our goal is to bring in a
younger audience and a more diverse audience, and I would suggest that the
patrons of the cannabis industry are both younger and more diverse than the
patrons of the symphony orchestra”.
Well.... didn´t this younger and diverse audience go the CSO´s concerts
before because they couldn´t consume marijuana? Did they love the music but kept
away from it because they couldn´t BTOC – Bring Their Own Cannabis? Was this
the barrier?
The sponsors of the series are – surprise, surprise – corporations
related to the cannabis industry. The Huffington Post interviewed two of them:
“Richard Yost of Ideal 420
Soil, a New Hampshire company that sells soil and other cultivation products to
marijuana growers, sees sponsoring the concerts as a chance to link his company
to one of the best orchestras in the nation and to make the point that pot
consumers can be clean-cut and sophisticated. ‘You can be intelligent and savvy
and enjoy cannabis as well,’ said Yost, adding that he plays Mozart while he
works on business plans.
Another sponsor, Jan Cole, said her
Boulder-based pot retailer The Farm has helped fund arts events in her hometown
and a concert by Ziggy Marley in Denver. She said she hoped for a long-term
association with the symphony, because its audience was ‘our crowd ... people
who like art and music and alternative products.’"
I believe we get to know a person (or an
institution) better in moments of crisis. By looking at their values, their
priorities, the way they make decisions, the kind of decisions they make, the
way they keep (or not) focused on their mission. I find more honesty in the
words of the sponsors than in those of the CSO executive director’s. Through
its association to the orchestra, the cannabis industry is looking for prestige
and a more sophisticated look. Through it´s association to the industry the
orchestra is looking for.... desperately needed money. They might actually get
the younger and diverse audiences too. This is an event that might very well
attract them, this is a happening. But will it be more than a happening? Will
they come back? Will the CSO manage to keep them on board? I have serious
doubts about that, for two reasons: because happenings like this have no
long-term effects if there is not a long-term plan that will aim at eliminating
barriers, the real ones, and establishing and nurturing a relationship with
people; but also, in this case, because the CSO is not being honest regarding its
objectives and “the younger and diverse audiences” know it.
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