Cannabis Sales Top $1M at Outside Lands

Attendees at the Outside Lands festival bought more than $1 million worth of cannabis products at the state-approved GrassLands section of the festival, the San Francisco Gate reports. The festival was the first given a temporary permit by city officials to sell and consume cannabis at a festival — it was the first major U.S. music festival to officially sanction cannabis sales.

Highland Events, the festival organizers, did not share specific cannabis sales figures but told the Gate that cannabis sales at the event reached seven figures. During the event, concert-goers were allowed to purchase up to 7 grams of flower and up to 2 grams of concentrate products, including edibles, across all vendors. Available products included infused chocolates, gummies, miniature joints, raw flower, THC-infused non-alcoholic beer, and more.

According to an SFIST report, the GrassLands area of the festival was cleaner than the areas where alcohol was permitted and there were no medical emergencies or incidents that required law enforcement intervention.

“The vibe is really chill and it’s very respectful. It’s not only respectful to the people, it’s respectful to the park.” — Marisa Rodriguez, Director of the San Francisco Office of Cannabis, via SFIST

According to several reports, festival organizers didn’t receive the cannabis permits until about five hours before doors opened – despite an announcement from city cannabis regulators two days prior to the event that the permits had been approved.

Outside Lands was the first major music festival given a cannabis consumption permit in California, although state regulators have previously granted permits to cannabis events for sales.