So, in case you haven’t heard, or you’re not into this sort of thing or whatever, you can legally fly in Oregon with weed on you. The state sanctioned legal marijuana in November, passing the ballot for recreational use in November and permitting sale and purchase of it officially on July 1.
According to a recent report from the Hill, passengers flying within the state of Oregon can now travel with herb:
Portland International Airport is allowing passengers who are flying to destinations within the state of Oregon to carry marijuana on their flights, Portland television station KPTV reports.
And this little gem:
Portland’s airport is permitting passengers to keep their possessions if their destination is also within Oregon, according to the report.
All that’s well and good, but it begs the question, “Am I going to be the kind of dope who travels with dope all on my person and such?” The early answer is “yes.” I am that dope.
I figure it like this: It’s been a dream of mine to fly without worrying that some stray nugs found their way into my carry-on and will soon be detected by snarling dogs and officers with latex gloves. And while this law provides safe haven for Oregon travelers, the Los Federales still have to stop smugglers and other bad guys from getting too crazy with interstate travel. They will arrest you in literally any other airport [no word yet about flying from one weed abiding state to another]. I can’t have my good name toppled by a federal intervention revealing that I like to get stoned. Kids look up to me!
But friends of mine (all law-abiding citizens in other facets of their lives) have often tried to convince me of the ease of marijuana travel, insisting that only a real wimp or a sucker would leave his herb at home during vacation. After demanding those friends take back all the name-calling, and buckling at the thought of my own weakness, I started observing their techniques. There were some common rules they observed:
- Only bring a small amount of cannabis (a few grams) in an easily accessible piece of luggage like a carry-on or purse.
- Never ever toke before your travel plans. It’s too obvious and gives TSA (and other airport) officials cause to search you.
- Don’t be a terrorist. This one is, like, the most serious. I can’t help you if you’re a terrorist who wants to get on a plane with weed. Or a terrorist who wants to get on a plane at all.
Besides the obvious advice like “act natch” and “just be cool,” it’s the above tips that indicate to me that I have good, aware friends who haven’t been arrested for a reason. Anyway, as I gear up for my next few days off, it might be nice to check out Oregon’s laws by flying there completely without a cannabis carry-on, purchasing it there, and then taking some local flight to another area in-state… just to see how it goes.
Stay tuned.
