How can this be? At the start of this year, California joined the ranks of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia in legalizing marijuana for recreational use . Under the new law that went into effect in California, towns are allowed to decide whether or not to allow recreational sales. Indio, where Coachella is held, is among the cities that have chosen to abstain. They have strict rules when it comes to smoking and possessing the drug. They are not allowing anyone to sell, cultivate, or distribute cannabis within the city. While they allow people to have small amounts of it in their personal possession, it is not allowed to be smoked in public.