I love going to concerts. There’s something special about being able to watch musicians perform live, which makes the music more impressive. The throb of the crowd jumping and dancing is splendidly exhilarating. Usually I leave concerts smiling with new energy coursing through my body.

There’s only one thing I dislike, and that’s the unavoidable presence of drugs.

Regardless of my own beliefs or anyone else’s regarding illegal use of drugs, I can’t stand it when I arrive at a concert to find groups of people in front and around me inhaling or snorting.

Last year at the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ concert at the Assembly Hall, I recall having to awkwardly step back and shove my body against the people behind me because the boy sitting in front had fallen back. He had a nosebleed, and the blood was dripping all around my friends’ and my feet. It was hard to enjoy the music while trying to avoid the blood.

Another time, someone standing in front of me passed out. Unfortunately for him, his friends were equally stoned, and at first they thought he had “fallen asleep.” Obviously he hadn’t decided that it was an ideal time for a nap, and I knew that passing out is potentially dangerous. I was really distracted with worrying about the unconscious boy in front of me for a couple of minutes before his friends carried him out to get help.

At the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ concert I remember seeing a group of about eight teenagers being pulled over before the concert even started and getting arrested because they were in possession of marijuana.

Yes, before the concert even started.

It seemed like a big waste of about $50.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve asked someone how a concert they’ve attended was and they have smirked and gone, “Oh … I can’t actually remember.”

Is the point of attending concerts to get high? Maybe I’m misunderstanding something, but what’s the point of attending a concert if you can’t remember what happened? How valuable is that experience if you are so affected by drugs that you can’t recall how it went?

I don’t really mind what other peoples’ choice of activity is during a concert. It’s their decision totally. It’s when that activity interferes with my enjoyment of the concert that bothers me. When people light up in front of me at concerts, sometimes the smoke is so thick that I can’t actually see through it. That’s not cool, by the way.

Blood on my shoes? No thanks. I rather sacrifice someone else’s stoned state for clean shoes and a clear view of the stage. Maybe that’s too much to ask for.

The issue can spread beyond comfort, now that I consider the fact that I have a couple of friends who actually have allergic reactions (such as skin rashes) from the smoke that marijuana emits.

In conclusion, I think that concerts can probably be just as enjoyed and better remembered if people just stay sober.