Colorado has long been a mecca for skiing, and millions of people come to Colorado to check out the scenery, see the sights in Denver, and attend the Sundance film festival. Since the legalization of marijuana, Denver has also started to draw a new type of tourist–the marijuana traveler.
The Denver International Airport has become much busier since the passage of legalization. In fact, their busiest month ever to date occurred in January 2014, the month that the marijuana legalization law went into effect. Many people who find themselves in Denver with a few hours to kill before a flight wonder whether or not it’s possible to enjoy marijuana during the layover.
The answer is–yes, provided you follow these rules:
- You cannot bring a full vaporizer with you on your trip. If you want to travel with a marijuana vaporizer, the FAA will allow it, but your unit must be completely clean. The TSA prefers that vaporizers are packed in carry-on baggage due to safety concerns regarding the batteries.
- You cannot use weed at the airport. If you want to enjoy a weed vaporizer, you can’t just step out of the building, have someone bring you marijuana and fire up your weed vape. Under Colorado state law, it’s still illegal to possess marijuana at the airport.
- You can only purchase weed from a licensed store. Forget about trying to find someone on Craigslist to buy legal weed and then resell it to you after you land. To comply with the marijuana laws, you must visit a licensed dispensary to purchase weed. You can use Leafly or Weedmaps to find the most convenient one. Keep in mind that marijuana dispensaries in Denver close at 7PM.
- You cannot use weed in public. It’s illegal to use a vaporizer for weed on the street, in the dispensary, or in any restaurant or club. Most hotels also prohibit the use of marijuana, so you can’t just check into a hotel by the airport for a few hours to vape. The best places to use a weed vapor pen are private homes that provide accommodations like the ones you can find on Air BNB and bed and breakfasts that are marijuana-friendly.
- You cannot drive after vaping. It’s illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana, so don’t rent a car to go and buy weed on your layover. You can use Uber or Lyft to get around. It is perfectly legal to use a weed vape in the back seat of a moving vehicle, so if you can find a limousine or car hire service that will let you use weed in the car, this could be a way to use a portable vaporizer during a layover.
- You can rent a vaporizer in Denver. If you want to have a vaporizer weed experience without buying a vape, you can arrange to rent one. You’ll have to set things up before your trip and let the service know where to deliver and pick up the unit.
So there you have it–it is possible to use cannabis during a layover, but you’ll need to have enough time to get in a car (driven by someone else!) and get to a dispensary. If you can’t find a car service that allows the use of vaporizers for weed in transit, you’ll also have to allow enough time to reach a private place for your vaping. Good luck!