If you’re thinking of traveling to visit Kansas City – perhaps to watch a Kansas City Chiefs game – you may be thinking of bringing marijuana with you. Perhaps you’re from a nearby state like Illinois or Michigan, where marijuana is completely legal for recreational purposes. You want to bring it on your trip, but you’re not sure if you’re allowed to do so.
There are a lot of different things to consider in this type of scenario, but the underlying point is that traveling with marijuana is sometimes prohibited. It’s important to understand when it is and what this may mean for you.
The Missouri side
If you’re going to Kansas City, Missouri, recreational marijuana has also been legalized. It is legal for you to possess and use these products in Missouri without fear of legal ramifications.
That being said, if you’re coming from out of state, remember that you can’t cross state lines with marijuana. So it would be better to drive into Missouri and then buy your products locally, which is still legal as long as you’re over 21.
The Kansas side
This does get tricky if you’re going to the Kansas side of the city, however. Kansas has not even approved medical marijuana, much less recreational marijuana. It is fully illegal under the state laws on that side of the border. Even if you buy the products in Missouri, you cannot take them into Kansas without fear of arrest and imprisonment.
Marijuana laws are complex because they differ from state to state and they’ve changed significantly in the last decade. If you’ve been arrested after making a mistake that may violate these laws, you need to know what legal defense options you have and what steps to take next.