Drug screenings may be implemented at 2019 Burning Man The Bureau of Land Management also denied the organization the ability to grow to 100,000 attendees

In this Monday, April 8, 2019, photoHolly Prohaska, at podium left, a project manager for a Bureau of Land Management contractor that helped prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the Burning Man festival, describes the document during a public hearing in Sparks, Nev. Nearly 200 Burning Man backers packed a casino meeting room to mostly complain about new conditions and restrictions the government wants to place on the counter-culture festival in the northern Nevada desert. less In this Monday, April 8, 2019, photoHolly Prohaska, at podium left, a project manager for a Bureau of Land Management contractor that helped prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the Burning Man ... more Photo: Scott Sonner, AP Photo: Scott Sonner, AP Image 1 of / 120 Caption Close Drug screenings may be implemented at 2019 Burning Man 1 / 120 Back to Gallery

People attending Burning Man this year might need to reconsider that acid trip on the Playa, due to a policy that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is thinking of implementing at this year's festival.

The BLM might conduct drug screenings at the entrances to this year's festival at Black Rock Desert, according to a report from the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Rudy Evenson, a spokesperson for BLM, told the Gazette-Journal that the federal agency could hire a private security firm to conduct drug screenings at this year's festival, or may wait until 2020 to implement the policy.

The BLM released a two-volume environmental impact statement (part 1 is here and part 2 is here) on Burning Man on Friday, June 14 that stated the agency will contract "third-party, private security to screen vehicles and participants, vendors and contractors, and staff and volunteers entering the event" that "will report ... banned or illegal contraband or significant concerns directly to law enforcement as violations are observed so that law enforcement can respond."

In an email to SFGate, the Burning Man group said it is preparing a full statement on the BLM environmental impact statement that they will publish on the Burning Man Journal in "the next day or so."

On Wednesday afternoon, the BLM sent a statement to SFGate regarding the reports of potential drug screening at Burning Man. "Our law enforcement personnel are focused on life, health and safety issues for attendees and staff which can be complex for an event this size at a unique location like the Black Rock Playa," wrote a BLM spokesperson.

"Screening process and procedures are just one facet of a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement approach to ensure the safety and security of the event. These procedures will be carried out in a manner similar to previous Burning Man events. At this time, BLM has no new announcements on changes to law enforcement and security policy or procedures related to Burning Man 2019."

Drew Costley is an SFGATE editorial assistant. Email: drew.costley@sfgate.com | Twitter: @drewcostley