Purple Haze In Arizona Sky — And, No, You’re Not High

SNOWFLAKE, AZ — A few nights ago in Snowflake, Arizona, the nighttime sky turned such a vivid shade of violet that it looked like part of the set for a Prince “Purple Rain” video — or, more appropriately given its source, Jimi Hendrix’s 1960s drug anthem “Purple Haze.”

The breathtaking purple glow came from a pot farm.

Navajo County officials had to debunk some theories purported on a Facebook post, including one person’s theory that the purple hue was the result of a rare violet southwestern aurora borealis, magnified by atmospheric pressure, cold weather and smoke from the Australia wildflowers.

That wasn’t it at all.

The ultraviolet lights used by Copperstate Farms at its medical marijuana growing farm were reflected from the snow clouds, Navajo County officials wrote, setting the record straight about the photo Snowflake resident Cara Smith took Friday.

Her photo also sparked some debate on medical cannabis, which Arizonans voted to legalize in 2010.

Many people were positively poetic about the purple sky and urged people get over the politics of how it came about and enjoy the sight.

Others bemoaned both the law and the way growing lights pollute the nighttime sky.

“Cool but sad that it was caused by terrible, a terrible medical marijuana plant,” one person wrote.

“This is the worst and makes Snowflake feel so trashy,” someone else wrote. “There was a time not so many years ago when you could see millions of stars and now you just see purple haze. And before you OK Boomer me, know that I'm 30 years old haha."