Texas still regards marijuana as an illegal controlled substance that can never be used recreationally. This has been the law for decades and it used to be the law that was used across most of the United States. However, many states have been legalizing recreational use, such as Colorado and California.
What some people wonder is if they can drive to one of these states – they already know that they cannot fly and that marijuana can be confiscated at the airport – and make legal marijuana purchases there. After doing so, could they legally come back to Texas? After all, this would mean that they didn’t violate the law when making the purchase, and they aren’t trying to sell their products in Texas. They’re just carrying products that they now own. Would this cause any legal trouble?
2 major problems
There are two big problems with doing this that could certainly lead to legal charges. The first is that crossing state lines with marijuana remains illegal. The federal government has not approved recreational use, so people who cross state lines have then committed a federal crime and can theoretically be arrested for doing so.
But perhaps a bigger issue is simply that legal changes in other states do not impact what is legal once you are back in Texas. You may have gone to Colorado and made a legal purchase, but bringing those products back to Texas means that you are now in violation of possession laws. The legality of the initial purchase is not going to circumvent that law.
If a mistake means that you’re facing some serious legal charges that you never anticipated, be sure you know what steps to take.