Washington, Colorado have few ways to stop carry-on weed

DENVER (AP): AMONG THE many oddities that have arisen from marijuana legalisation in Washington and Colorado is this: It can be easier to get through airport security with a bag of weed than witth a bottle of water.

At Washington’s airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International, there’s nothing police can do to prevent travellers from flying with pot in their carry-on or checked luggage provided it doesn’t exceed the state legal limit of one ounce. Instead, airport officials say officers simply recommend that travellers leave it in their cars, toss it or have a friend pick it up.

But in Colorado, where the legal pot law gives property owners more authority to restrict the drug, some airports have banned marijuana possession and enacted penalties, including fines as high as $2,500 and a jail stint at the airport in Colorado Springs.

AGAINST FEDERAL LAW

“Carrying marijuana in a civilian aircraft is illegal under federal regulations. That’s why we implemented the rule to prevent marijuana from reaching a civilian aircraft,” said airport spokeswoman Kim Melchor, adding that the airport has yet to levy a fine and explained that a drop-box where travellers can toss excess weed hasn’t been used.

The situation underscores the difficulty officials in both states have as they try to prevent pot from leaving their borders – one of several conditions the Department of Justice imposed when it allowed the legal pot experiments to proceed.