Spliff-Worthy Seven: Your 4/20 Marijuana Law Roundup

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on April 20, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Getting high today? You and everyone else. Want to avoid the paranoia associated with wondering if you're getting high legally? We got you covered.

Here are our top seven marijuana law questions and some advice for keeping 4/20 legal, just in time for the premiere of "Super Troopers 2."

1. Will the Government Know If I Get a Marijuana Card?

If you live in a state without legalized recreational marijuana, chances are you need a card to get medicinal weed. Will you end up on some government list if you get one?

Just because pot is legal where you live, doesn't mean it's legal to be too stoned in public. While cops aren't likely to stop pedestrians and give them sobriety tests, public intoxication laws can apply to marijuana.

Depends on where you live -- some states are incorporating THC tests and imposing hard limits on drivers, while others are using a more amorphous "totality of the evidence" standard to measure intoxication.

4. State v. Federal Showdown Over Marijuana Laws

Just to reiterate, while some states have legalized recreational marijuana sale and possession, the feds have yet to take such a relaxed stance in their statutes.

5. What's in Your Pot Brownie? Marijuana Edibles and the Law

You're probably thinking that buying a pot brownie from a licensed dispensary is definitely safer than whatever that guy at that concert gave you. For the most part, you'd be right, but edibles manufacturers and consumers are still working out some kinks when it comes to labeling.

6. Is Smoking Marijuana Child Endangerment?

While you're probably thinking, "Not any more than drinking wine or smoking cigarettes," remember what we said at #4. Some law enforcement and child protective service agencies are still relying on federal marijuana bans to punish pot-smoking parents.

7. Reminder: Pot Is Illegal on Beaches, Military Bases, and Other Federal Land

And the federal/state dope dichotomy also comes into play on federal land within weed-legal states. So be careful about where you're getting high today.

If you get too high, Lifehacker has some help. And if you get into legal trouble over weed, we have attorneys who can help.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard