Toke up before boarding?

Air travel is a total hassle, man, and marijuana advocates in Denver say everyone would find the normally excruciating process a lot more pleasant if they could enjoy a few bong hits before boarding. It might even help solve a few of the problems that airlines have been experiencing lately. The way they see it, if people can knock a few back before a flight, they should be able to spark one up. They're calling on airports nationwide to install marijuana lounges.

"All we're saying is, in light of the fact drunk and disorderly incidents on airplanes are becoming more common, it really makes sense to allow adults the choice to use marijuana," says Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, the organization calling for the lounges. "There's no rational reason our government would allow people to use alcohol and not use marijuana."

Well, except for the fact the feds classify marijuana a Schedule 1 drug, putting it alongside heroin, mescaline meth and acid on its list of Drugs That Definitely Are Evil.

Tvert says many travelers consider flying stressful, so they'll have a drink - or two, or three, or... - before boarding. That can lead to problems, such as the case last week where a JetBlue passenger allegedly lit up a cigarette and socked a flight attendant. She blamed the crew for serving her three vodkas. U.S Attorney Troy Eid told the Rocky Mountain News the feds are seeing a record number of passengers - often drunk - misbehaving on airplanes. "I think sometimes people think this is a joke," he says. "They think it's funny. And they're going to find out otherwise as we do more and more of these cases."

SAFER says giving people the option of smoking a joint before their flights would relax them without making them unruly. But don't expect the feds or the airports to go along with the idea. Chuck Cannon, a spokesman for Denver International Airport, told the Denver Post he doesn't foresee marijuana smoking in the airport. "Marijuana is illegal isn't it?," he says. "All the bars and restaurants are concessions and they sell what they sell. I do not know that we are going to tell them what they can sell. Alcohol is legal and tobacco is legal and marijuana is not."

Tvert said he doesn't have a problem with alcohol being sold in airports -- although some people do, and say it should be banned -- but says people should have another option. "It is irrational and potentially dangerous policy to continue allowing passengers to get drunk before and during flights while prohibiting them from simply making the safer choice to use marijuana prior to boarding," Tvert says.