Last week Portland International Airport announced that it would allow passengers to carry marijuana on in state flights. The announcement came after recreational marijuana possession officially became legal in Oregon on July 1st. Oregon law permits individuals to transport up to one ounce of marijuana. Per KATU:
Port of Portland officials said TSA agents are not searching bags for marijuana, only items that pose a threat to passenger safety.
TSA agents will also check your ticket to make sure you aren’t flying out of the state. PDX offers flights to airports in Redmond/Bend, Eugene, Medford, and N. Bend/Coos Bay.
If you are violating any of these rules, you’ll be asked to leave and get rid of the pot before getting back in line.
“I personally travel with it and I have been traveling quite a bit lately,” said Collin Jones, an Oregon Medical Marijuana patient. ”It’s different to travel with marijuana. You are a little leary to get to the gate. Almost like you are in fear of going to jail. Just getting in trouble so-to-speak.”
Outside of Oregon this policy announcement seems like a radical idea, but to any marijuana consumer that has flown out of PDX, this is not as groundbreaking a move as many think. Even prior to this announcement, people having been flying out of PDX with marijuana with no problems for a long time. If TSA was to call law enforcement, which is standard protocol when there is an issue, Portland Police are likely not even going to respond. I picture Portland PD getting a call to dispatch and saying, ‘You have another person flying out of Portland and they have marijuana on them? Give us a call when there’s a real crime that needs to be investigated.’
