The Denver airport has banned the sale of marijuana-themed souvenirs because, according to airport spokesman Heath Montgomery, “We don’t want marijuana to be the first thing our visitors experience when they arrive.”
The possession and smoking of marijuana was already banned on airport premises — as well as advertisements for or depicting the use of marijuana — but the latest ban is specifically to block the sale of souvenirs like socks, boxers, and flip flops that contain images of the cannabis plant and celebrate Colorado’s status as the first state to legalize recreational marijuana.
“Why is everybody so riled up about the picture of a plant?” says Ann Jordan, who owns High-ly Legal Colorado and the maker of many different cannabis-themed souvenirs. Jordan is reportedly considering a lawsuit, noting that there are plenty of alcohol-themed souvenirs and an entire exhibit dedicated to Denver’s rich craft brewery scene.
Colorado’s smaller airports have not implemented such a ban. In Washington — the only other state so far to have acted on a legalization law — the Sea-Tac International Airport does not ban marijuana-themed souvenirs or possession of the drug itself.
Sources:
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/40247/denver-airport-bans-sale-of-marijuana-themed-souvenirs/
Photo Credit: Miranda Celeste Hale