The deaths of three young adults following the HARD Summer Music Festival at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on July 30 and 31 has renewed calls for a ban on such events.

Electronic music festivals, sometimes referred to as raves, can draw hundreds of thousands of mostly young people for one, two or even three days of festivities.

For attendees, these can be enjoyable, safe events no more risky than a typical concert or music festival. For residents in the vicinity of these events, they can be seen as a money-making opportunity, particularly for local business owners, or a headache, especially late at night. For local governments, they can provide an economic boost and generate revenues, but they can also be a cause of concern.

Such events have been held throughout Southern California for many years. As they have grown in popularity and frequency, however, they have also been subjected to increased regulation and scrutiny from state and local governments.

Drug use, overheating and dehydration at such events occasionally lead to hospitalizations and even deaths of attendees. At least a dozen attendees are known to have lost their lives at electronic music festivals in Southern California since 2006.

The deaths last weekend have prompted San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford to call for a ban on such events at the county-owned facilities.

“In light of these recent deaths, the Board of Supervisors should seriously consider banning these events from taking place at the county-owned San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore. We cannot wait for more young lives to be lost before we decide enough is enough,” Supervisor Rutherford said in a statement.

At least one electronic music festival, Nocturnal Wonderlands, is currently scheduled at the San Manuel Amphitheater for Labor Day weekend. In June, a proposal from Rutherford to ban such events failed to get enough votes.

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors considered banning such events following deaths at county-owned facilities, but instead opted for the creation of “threat assessments” through which promoters of events expected to draw more than 10,000 people must work with the county to minimize the potential risk of harm.

This is a preferable alternative to an outright ban and at least provides an opportunity for such events to proceed.

At least one barrier to safety resides at the federal level. The RAVE Act, championed by then-Sen. Joe Biden, was enacted in 2003 as part of the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act. RAVE stands for Reducing Americans’ Vulnerability to Ecstasy, and one of the consequences of its enactment has been a looming threat of punishment against event promoters who might offer harm reduction services.

This has made it difficult for promoters to effectively connect with and deal with those event attendees who also happen to engage in drug use. Perhaps revisiting the law, or seeking a clarification on what sort of harm reduction efforts are acceptable or permitted within the framework of the law, is warranted.

There must be cooperation between local governments and event promoters, with an aim toward reaching an appropriate, functional level of safety and harm reduction. It must also be acknowledged, regrettably, that even the best prepared event can’t prevent all tragic outcomes.