If you, like Arlo Guthrie, plan on coming into Los Angeles bringing in a couple of keys, well, you still better avoid the customs man.
But Los Angeles International Airport authorities say they will no longer bother people bound for domestic flights caught carrying up to 28.5 grams (about an ounce) of dried marijuana or eight ounces of concentrated marijuana, the amounts permitted by a California state law that went into effect this January.
It’s up to passengers to decide what the risks of prosecution are at their destination. Portland International Airport in Oregon enacted a similar policy for in-state travel after that state legalized marijuana possession, while Denver International Airport in Colorado, a state that legalized marijuana possession in 2012, still prioritizes federal law over state law.
“LAX’s policy will not affect how the Denver Police Department partners with Denver International Airport and the Transportation Security Administration to address marijuana-related violations,” the Denver Police Department told The Denver Channel.
U.S. Federal law prohibits marijuana possession, including on flights, but enforcement by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is selective. “TSA’s focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers,” a spokesperson told the AP.
Despite airport liberalization, California’s answer to Woodstock, the Coachella Festival, still doesn’t allow marijuana.