- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
The holiday season is coming up, and Denver International Airport will be mobbed with travelers...travelers heading into the state who are eager to try some legal Colorado cannabis, and others who're already wondering the best way to consume cannabis before getting on a crowded airplane and flying out of Colorado. In fact, one reader just asked our Stoner if edibles are a good way to combat the boredom of flying.
Yes, say most readers, but they also point out that edibles can help with other flying horrors, including chatty neighbors, crying babies and tiny seats.
Says Scott:
I always take an extra large edible for flights. Kinda goes without saying.
Advises Scott Z:
Why not? I'd make em indica edibles...don't want to start cleaning the cabin, now. Take a backup Xanax if possible in case you get jittery...
Says Gary:
Takes the edge off of being cramped with people who are annoying you.
Notes Carole:
I take some on a long flight. It puts me to sleep and I don't have to tolerate the airline a$$holes.
Adds David:
Yes, otherwise I will jump off the plane because your screaming baby won’t stop on my cheap red eye I expected to sleep on!!!
Responds Tom:
Everyone saying just take a nap is definitely under six feet.
Says Angi:
Yes!! I’m terrified of flying! The best flight experience I ever had, I was stoned on an edible, and turbulence was actually funl You have to be smart about it, though;don’t try an edible you’ve never had before or go crazy with the dosage.
But then there's this from John:
If you have to ask, then NO. Locked in an aluminum tube with 300 other people for 3 or 4 hours is no place to experiment.
Marie has another suggestion:
This, and so many other airline issues, can be solved with a pair of headphones.
Keep reading for our Stoner's answer, and more coverage of marijuana and travel:
"Ask a Stoner: Should I Eat Edibles or Smoke Pot Before a Plane Ride?"

"LAX Now Allows Passengers to Carry Weed. What About Denver?"

"Ask a Stoner: Will TSA Find My Edibles?"
Our Stoner's advice: Make sure your tolerance and experience with cannabis are strong enough to handle being high while getting through security (it’s totally legal to be high at DIA, but you can't possess any pot there, so people still get the willies) and then sitting on an airplane. For some people, cannabis only adds to anxiety, and edibles tend to peak mid-flight because of their digestion time, which can be good or bad depending on how big of a stoner you are.
If anxiety isn’t an issue, then it really depends on what kind of flyer you are. If you like to watch half of a movie and pass out, then smoke. The high will start declining shortly after lift-off, and it’ll make even the shittiest of airport sandwiches tolerable. Edibles are more for listening to music, chatting it up with the person next to you, or getting all the feels from an intense in-flight movie. Just be careful about dosing if you’re inexperienced, because nobody wants to realize they ate too many edibles when they’re 30,000 feet above the ground.
What do you think about consuming edibles before flying? Post a comment or email your thoughts to marijuana@westword.com.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.