Denver Airport Attempts to Fight Back Tide by Banning Marijuana Possession

Marijuana tourism in
Colorado will see another complication before it kicks off
Wednesday:
Denver International Airport doesn’t want to see any of your
bud or weed or whatever you kids are calling it these days. From
the Denver Post:

Denver International Airport will be the first city facility to
prohibit marijuana possession on all of its property as it attempts
to combat illegal interstate trafficking in the face of federal
law.

Airport officials plan to begin enforcing the new policy, which
is the furthest-reaching among the city’s marijuana limitations, in
early January.

Recently adopted city ordinances ban the display and transfer —
but not mere possession — of marijuana on city-owned property
including parks, the 16th Street Mall, streets and sidewalks near
schools.

“We talked to all of (the federal agencies involved), and
they’ve expressed concern for good reason, but it was our decision
based on the way the airport operates,” said Stacey Stegman, DIA
spokeswoman. “We didn’t want to impact other airports and other
agencies, and we didn’t want to facilitate transporting marijuana
across state lines.”

But apparently tokers shouldn’t worry too much:

And while the airport has decided to implement a zero-tolerance
marijuana policy, it doesn’t plan to actively enforce the
policy.

“It’s not like we are going to do checkpoints. We just want
people to comply,” Stegman said, noting that a violator would have
to be discovered by other means, such as committing a different
crime and having pot found in the perpetrator’s possession.

Well, then! But an important reminder: The airport’s rules have
absolutely no bearing on what the Transportation Security Agency
does if their agents discovery you with marijuana.

Read the full story
here. Jacob Sullum explains what to expect in Colorado come
Wednesday here.

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