Burning Man arrests down, but drug-related medical problems up

RENO, Nev. - The party was over for thousands of free spirits Sunday on the northern Nevada high desert as the 14th annual Burning Man counterculture festival ended a weeklong run.

Participants from all 50 states faced gridlock as they left the Black Rock Desert 120 miles north of Reno, remote scene of the festival billed as the ultimate celebration of free expression.

Although the event officially ended late Saturday with the traditional torching of a 50-foot-high wooden effigy of a man, only about half of a record crowd of 24,500 had managed to leave by Sunday night, deputies said.

"There's been a major traffic jam all day and we expect the same thing Monday," said Washoe County sheriff's Lt. Will McHardy. "The problem is everybody has to leave the desert single file and there's a two-hour delay just to get to the highway."

Despite the traffic problems, law enforcement authorities were pleased with the overall conduct of participants during the anything-goes event known for art, dancing, concerts, nudity and drugs.

"I think it went very smoothly and we had very few incidents compared with past years," McHardy said. "That's something because the crowd was a record by far. We had wonderful cooperation with organizers."

Last year's festival drew about 15,000 people.

The number of arrests at the festival was down this year, but the number of drug-related medical problems was sharply up, McHardy said.

Only six arrests were made, about half of last year's number. Four of the arrests were for drug sales. Personal drug use is tolerated at the event, but not drug sales.

The festival's biggest problem was the 70 to 90 people who required emergency medical treatment each day after taking LSD or Ecstasy, deputies said.

Often called the rave or sex drug, Ecstasy combines the effects of hallucinogens and stimulants.

"It seems the majority of the cases involved Ecstasy," McHardy said. "If you take enough, it can go so far as to stop your breathing. Some people had to be taken to hospitals."

A man was seriously injured Friday when he jumped from scaffolding at the event, but was expected to survive, friends said.

Another man was killed in a traffic accident just south of the Black Rock Desert while en route to the event, deputies said.

Organizers now will dismantle the tent settlements and theme villages that make up "Black Rock City," and oversee the removal of litter.

With the large crowd, the temporary city became one of Nevada's five largest cities for the week.

archive