Many states have legalized recreational marijuana. Over the last decade, these laws have spread across the United States.
This means that people are sometimes tempted to bring marijuana products with them when they travel. Maybe you live in Alabama, but you took a road trip to Colorado over the summer. You can legally purchase recreational marijuana products in Colorado as long as you’re 21 years old or older. So why can’t you bring them back to Alabama? Here are two reasons.
Local marijuana laws
To begin with, Alabama only recognizes medical marijuana as a legitimate treatment if it is offered at very low doses. Recreational marijuana is prohibited entirely.
If you are caught with marijuana products, you may tell the officer that you legally bought them in another state. Some people assume that this means they did not break the law, and that is true at the point of purchase. But it is still illegal to possess those products in Alabama, regardless of where you bought them.
Federal marijuana laws
Additionally, the federal government still has not legalized marijuana. It is prohibited, which means it is illegal to cross state lines – which gives those federal laws jurisdiction. You may be able to purchase these cannabis products in Colorado, Illinois or Michigan, but you can’t drive out of the state with them. For the same reason, it is illegal to fly with cannabis products.
If you do find yourself facing drug charges, especially if you did not realize that you violated the law in the first place, you need to know what legal defense options you have.
