Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a Denver-based organization advocating for the legalization of marijuana, is taking to its cause to the sky.
Carry-on luggage?darkpatator/Flickr
Mason Tvert, SAFER’s executive director, held a press conference Tuesday, where he urged federal and local officials to allow the use of marijuana in airport smoking lounges nation wide.
“It is irrational and illogical to continue allowing adults to consume alcohol prior to flying but not allow the option of being able to make the safer choice and use marijuana instead,” said Tvert. His group bills marijuana as the non-violent and relaxing alternative to alcohol, which commonly contributes to domestic violence and sexual assaults.
Growing concerns about alcohol-related incidents in the air led United Airlines to investigate “air rage”. The airline created an internal committee to review violent incidents. Sara Nelson, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants at United, told the Denver Post last September that “alcohol is a leading cause of air-rage incidents.”
In July 2007, an intoxicated mother allegedly beat her two young children while flying from San Francisco to Denver. A month later, a drunk Southwest Airlines passenger made some crude remarks to a young female passenger seated near him and then proceeded to choke a fellow male passenger who tried to stand up for her.
Officials at Denver’s International Airport laughed at Tvert’s proposal, but maybe they shouldn't. Recent alcohol related mid-flight violence should at least be reason enough for them to consider allowing passengers to imbibe a SAFER alternative.