Cannabis enthusiasts in California have one more thing to be happy about post marijuana legalization. According to a recent policy update released by the Los Angeles International Airport, LAX and the Los Angeles Police Department will allow passengers to carry certain amounts of weed on flights as long as it is under the legal limit. The joint LAX/LAPD policy states that: “While federal law prohibits the possession of marijuana (inclusive of federal airspace), California’s passage of Proposition 64, effective January 1, 2018, allows for individuals 21 years of age or older to possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana for personal consumption. In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana. However, passengers should be aware that marijuana laws vary state by state and they are encouraged to check the laws of the states in which they plan to travel.”
This new policy basically allows for folks that are 21 and older to bring along over 28 grams of marijuana flower or up to 8 grams of cannabis concentrates on their travels through LAX without incurring the wrath of the LAPD. However, there is still a distinct possibility that the Transportation Security Administration may still represent a hurdle for traveling enthusiasts as cannabis possession is still very much illegal at the federal level. This means that if you are caught with cannabis while going through a TSA security checkpoint, the agents may pull you aside to confirm with local law enforcement that what you are carrying is within the legal amount for the state. Lorie Dankers, a spokeswoman for the TSA reinforced that while the “TSA’s focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers…Whether or not the passenger is allowed to travel with marijuana is up to law enforcement’s discretion.”
As one can imagine folks that are obviously carrying less than the legal limit won’t face as much scrutiny but it can still potentially be a hassle since if you do get caught you will need to wait for the LAPD to come and sort things out. Also, the policy does indicate that even though it is legal in California, the weed you are bringing along is likely to still be illegal depending on your destination but LAX is leaving this to the discretion of other airports to track enthusiasts that may be bringing herb along with them. So far LAX is the only airport to make this type of policy change but we do anticipate that similar policies will be rolled out at other airports in locations where cannabis has been made legal for adult use in the very near future.
Do you agree with LAX’s and the LAPD’s new policy with regards to allowing adults to travel with their legal cannabis? Do you believe that the TSA should continue to focus on preventing terrorism as opposed to acting as an additional law enforcement entity when it comes to legal cannabis?
