Pubdate: Thu, 05 Dec 2013
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2013 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: William Breathes

CAN I FLY WITH POT?

Dear Stoner: Can I fly out of DIA with pot?

Headed Home for the Holidays

Dear Head: We've covered this a few times, but it's worth reviewing 
again before January. The short answer is: Yes, but only sort of.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation 
Security Administration agents at security checkpoints are not 
looking for cannabis (or any other drugs). Since the TSA isn't 
technically law enforcement, if agents do find something suspiciously 
green and skunky, they'll refer it to a local law enforcement 
authority. In Denver, that means the ounce of herb you've got in your 
carry-on at DIA is legal if you're 21 or older.

You can then fly to other states where cannabis possession is legal, 
because, again, TSA would defer to local authorites. Right now that 
makes Washington a prime destination - but MMJ patients can also fly 
to states that allow for reciprocity of marijuana recommendations, 
such as Michigan, Arizona and Connecticut. Trust us: It happens all the time.

The caveat is that cannabis is still illegal federally, and there is 
a small risk of federal air marshals catching you transporting pot 
across state lines - which could be worth a few years in the slammer 
with the right judge.

Dear Stoner: I drink, but I've never tried pot. Should I try it? 
Would I like it better?

Ivonne at the Irish Rover

Dear Ivonne: In some ways, it is not unlike a small alcohol buzz in 
that your body and mind relax a little. Your brain will likely run 
wild, along with your mouth. (First-timers tend to get chatty, mostly 
because of the increased awareness of how awesome everything around 
them has just become.) But one of cannabis's advantages is that you 
avoid the increasingly heavy, blurry, sloshy effects that come with 
drinking. You can also say goodbye to hangovers and the extra pounds 
from all of the sugar you're consuming.

Another advantage  maybe the best? - is no more sloppy drunk sex. In 
fact, the right strain of cannabis can be an aphrodisiac of sorts. An 
uplifting, speedy but euphoric Super Silver Haze, Durban Poison or 
Jack Flash can increase blood flow and heart rate, heighten feelings 
of relaxation and pleasure, and make you more sensitive to outside 
stimuli that mimic your body's natural rhythms and changes when you 
get aroused. Alcohol numbs all of those things. Sex on cannabis is 
like riding on the back of a gilded unicorn through space and time 
while tiny molecules of awesome massage your brain and your nether 
regions. And who doesn't like riding unicorns?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom