As music festivals gain in popularity, so has the use of illegal substances during the events. Since March 2013, 7 people have died from overdoses on substances such as molly and ecstasy; two alone died at the Electric Zoo festival in New York this past September.

There are many music festivals hosted around the world including Ultra in Miami, Coachella in California, and Summerfest in Wisconsin, which have all made it to MTV’s iggy top 10 music festivals in the world. These large festivals can be expected to cost anywhere from $250 to $300 for a few nights of music.

Lately the organizers of the events have become serious about preventing the use of drugs at these festivals. They have proposed ideas such as better anti-drug campaigns and stationing drug-help stations within the festivals. In addition, many festivals including the TomorrowWorld music festivals have stated that anyone found with illegal substances will be escorted out. They also instituted the use of standard body checks, car checks upon arrival, and undercover security guards.

Freshman Anila Mehdihassan said, “[The users] should keep the safety of others in their mind. They could hurt more than just themselves if they are using.”

Taking these precautions could help to save lives when doing reckless things. Some, however, don’t share this opinion and believe that drugs should be banned all together.

Freshman Angel Roman thought drugs are bad in general. He said, “I really think that was a dumb decision that those people made. It’s irresponsible of them to bring [drugs] to the music festival because [they] have nothing to do with music. They shouldn’t bring drugs [to] a public place where they could end up in the wrong hands.”

Many festivals have noticed the rise in drugs and have become worried. Some investors and corporate sponsors are also reluctant to participate because of the liabilities that could come from these drugs. The holders have solid reasons not to invest since there have been deaths prior to this year, including a 15 year old girl who overdosed at Electric Daisy Carnival in 2010.

Junior Brenda Magana said, “Well, I think if [investors and corporate sponsors] invest [in festivals with drugs] they’ll have a larger crowd than [a festival] who’s like ‘oh no we’re against it.’”

Although many pop artists seem to encourage club drug use, like Miley Cyrus referring to “molly” in her song “We Can’t Stop,” most music festivals will continue to discourage their use to protect those who attend their festivities.