Medical Cannabis and Travel

PICTURED ABOVE: A BAD IDEA

Holiday travel presents unique difficulties to those who rely on cannabis for medical pur-poses. While recreational users might choose to abstain from using during their holidays, that’s not a viable option for those who use medical marijuana for treatment of their symptoms. You can find a list of States that have active medical marijuana programs here, including which States recognize the validity of prescriptions from others that allow medical use. If the state(s) where you will be traveling do not allow for the medical use of marijuana, here are some options that will reduce your risk.

1. It’s not ideal, but if there is a possibility that you’ll be able to travel in the future without needing cannabis for symptom relief, consider postponing your trip and asking friends and family to visit you instead.

2. Talk to your doctor about alternate forms of treatment.

3. Be sure to carry the smallest amount possible and keep your prescription and any medical documentation on you at all times. While local law enforcement at your location are not obligated to recognize these documents, it might persuade them to look the other way.

4. If your friends and family are amenable and have connections, ask them if they feel comfortable buying for you at your destination. This does carry risk for them, but it could be less risky than attempting to fly with marijuana.

5. If possible, avoid flying and drive, take the train or bus instead.

6. If you must fly, do everything possible to avoid setting off TSA radars. Be coop-erative, friendly and don’t carry items or wear clothing that will set off alarms. TSA officials will not be screening for drugs, but if they happen to find them while searching for other contraband, they will contact local law enforcement.

7. Avoid smoking in public places or in large groups of people at parties or other social gatherings.

8. Don’t drive under the influence or ride in a vehicle with anyone who is. Not only is it unsafe but it increases your chances of being pulled over. Drive safely and obey all speed and traffic laws.

9. Know your legal rights and should the worst happen, wait to consult an attorney before giving a statement.

10. International travel is likely to represent even more complications and it’s wise to know exactly the penalties that are possible in the destination country before making the decision to take that risk.

Unfortunately, not only do the laws vary by location in the United States but local law en-forcement is also likely to have a range of tolerance for medical marijuana. Use your best judgment before taking the risk to travel with medical marijuana

Tags: air plane, cannabis, hemp, legalization, marijuana, medical hemp, medical marijuana, News, prop 19, travel

This entry was posted on Monday, November 8th, 2010 at 8:11 pm and is filed under Featured Articles, Features, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.