We’re less than two weeks out from the onset of Canada’s recreational weed industry, yet there are still some changes being announced to the country’s upcoming legal marijuana program. One of the latest alterations was announced this week, and for Canadians with the travel bug, this could come as a relief. On Wednesday, Canada’s Transport Minister, Marc Garneau announced that domestic flyers will be able to safely board an airplane with a small amount of cannabis in their luggage.
Flying High In The Sky
The Minister’s spokesperson, Delphine Denis, said that passengers will be allowed to carry the legal limit of cannabis on board their flights.
“After October 17, 2018, passengers will be permitted to have a legal amount of cannabis, which is 30 grams, in either their carry on or checked bag, if they are flying to a domestic destination,” Denis said in a statement.
However, Minister Garneau has warned Canadians against packing their pot on international flights—all passengers must abide by their destination’s own cannabis laws. This also includes flights that may have a stopover in a Canadian city, but the final destination is still out-of-country.
Transport Canada also warned their patrons that taking cannabis and/or cannabis products over the US border remains illegal—a notion the US administration recently said they would crack down after October 17th.
Recently, Air Canada announced that they will make a strong effort to bar some of their employees from smoking pot—not just during their shifts, but at all times.
“Employees working in safety-critical areas at the company, including flight operations and aircraft maintenance, will be prohibited from using cannabis and cannabis products at all times, both on-duty and off-duty,” Air Canada said in a Statement to Global News.
One of the biggest issues regarding the looming legalization of cannabis will be how to stop people from operating motor vehicles under the influence of marijuana. Considering there is no real way to accurately test a subject on-site for cannabis consumption, Canada is still working on ways to prevent an influx of cannabis-related auto incidents.
When it comes to the sky, however, Air Canada stresses a preventative measure altogether. Being overly cautious, they say, is better than being not cautious enough.
“We are acting out of an abundance of caution based on current understanding of the effects of these drugs, including their after-effects and the potential they can linger in the human system,” Air Canada said.
