USA TODAY International Edition
Airport adjusts to new cannibis law
Thanks to a new law, it’s now fine to fly out of Oregon’s Portland International Airport with pot.
But only if you’re flying to one of the four other Beaver State airports served by PDX.
Fresh signs in the PDX terminal remind passengers that state and federal laws prohibit taking marijuana across state lines. “But the way the law is written, it is permitted to travel [ with pot] within the state, provided you’re 21 or over and in possession of the legal amount,” said Kama Simonds, spokeswoman for Portland International Airport.
The new rule applies to travelers flying in- state from Portland to Redmond, Pendleton, Eugene or North Bend airports and was adopted on July 1, when Oregon joined Alaska, Colorado, Washington and the District of Columbia in legalizing recreational marijuana.
Marijuana is still illegal under federal law. So while Transportation Security Administration officers are looking for devices and materials that impact transportation safety, if they find pot ( or other drugs) they’ll still call in local law enforcement.
“Our police officers will respond and assess on a case by case basis,” said Simonds, “but now it’s very likely they’ll simply say ‘ Have a nice flight,’ if someone is traveling within the state and meets all the other criteria.”
In 2014, 15.9 million travelers passed through Portland International Airport, but only 4%, or about 636,000 passengers, were flying to destinations within the state.
Other Oregon airports are still working on their policies regarding pot.
Eugene Airport “is considering a policy similar to Portland’s,” said Cathryn Stephens, assistant director at Eugene Airport. The Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton is served by 10- seater jets, “so there’s no TSA screening on our side,” said airport manager Steve Chrisman”.
Policies vary at airports in other states where recreational marijuana has been legalized.