Oregon travelers can fly with recreational marijuana

PORTLAND, Ore., July 9 (UPI) -- Passengers at Oregon's Portland International Airport can legally board airplanes with up to an ounce of marijuana for in-state flights, keeping with the state's new law that legalizes recreational marijuana.

Airport officials said the Transportation Security Administration is not focused on finding marijuana, but rather keeping up with security and safety issues. If a TSA agent finds a passenger with marijuana, the local police will be notified to ensure it is within the legal weight limit (up to an ounce), the passenger is of legal age to carry the drug (21) and the boarding pass indicates an in-state flight. If everything checks out, the passenger is free to travel.

"Traveling across state lines is still a federal crime," said Steve Johnson with the Port of Portland. "However, if someone is flying within the state to another destination in the state, traveling with recreational marijuana is allowable if they meet all the legal requirements."

If a passenger does not meet the legal requirements, the traveler will be given the option to store the marijuana in a safe place, like a car, give it to someone over age 21 who is not traveling or surrender it to law enforcement to be destroyed.

Oregon's law, which went into effect July 1, says transporting marijuana across state lines is prohibited because marijuana has not been legalized nationally. That includes transporting it to neighboring Washington, where recreational use is legal.