by Kasmak

Created on: February 12, 2009

The case for the legality of raves really comes down to freedom and responsibility. There has been constant misinformation from all sides involved with the issue. One media outlet portrays them as an evil of society one day, another pokes holes in their statistics and information the next. Like so many things in life the situation is not black and white.

First we need to dispel some of the myths. Do drugs exist at many of the raves? Yes they do. Organizers have become much for vehement about them being influence free in recent years. They have taken steps attempting to keep the drugs out. We, as humans, are quite resourceful though and not every situation can be completely prepared for. If you use this as a reason to condemn raves then by the same thinking all concert or music related festivals will have to be condemned as well. I personally cannot count how many rock, hip-hop or other music concert/festivals I've walked into and constantly seen drug use. I've even seen people arrested at the state fair for smoking marijuana. Do we keep the community from enjoying concerts and state fairs as well?

Are raves specifically held for the purpose of consuming drugs? No, definitely not. While they are about music and a community movement of likeminded individuals they are first about making money. Raves are a business like anything else we see. Promoters, organizers and musical talent would not go through the amount of work it takes to produce such an event if there was no paycheck involved. I've played many shows in my time. While I do it for the love of music, free does not pay the rent. If anyone wants to wake up every morning and do what they love most in life, it's got to bring in some sort of income. That's the hard reality of life.

Several years ago raves were mostly underground. Their location was a guarded secret. These days' things have changed. In my local area raves are commonly advertised and their location announced long before the event. Many are catered and have a beer garden or full bar sectioned off for those of legal drinking age. Police are frequently invited in to patrol the events. The promoters obtain permits and licenses from state and city agencies for permission to legally hold these events. I know this has fast become the norm in most markets. Those who oppose raves have to face the music; raves have become a mainstream and legitimate form of entertainment.
People who attend raves constantly get grouped into one statistic. This is completely

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