California has always led the way regarding marijuana legalization. California pioneered legal medicinal marijuana and was also one of the first states to embrace legal recreational use.
Changes to state laws have led to confusion and even complacency. California residents and visitors sometimes assume that they can do anything they want with marijuana because of legalization. However, both state authorities and the federal government can still prosecute people for marijuana-related crimes that may have occurred or at least begun in California. Traveling with marijuana grown or purchased legally in California could eventually lead to very serious drug trafficking charges.
Trafficking is about more than distribution
To most people, drug trafficking is synonymous with organized criminal activity. They think of people who help transport hundreds of pounds of marijuana across international boundaries or distribute drugs directly on the unregulated markets. Those situations can lead to drug trafficking charges, but so can much more innocent behavior.
The state can also prosecute people for transporting marijuana and other controlled substances. The act of crossing state lines can lead to allegations of interstate trafficking.
Even though Nevada and Oregon both have laws legalizing marijuana as well, moving legal marijuana from California into one of those states could lead to trafficking allegations. Particularly when people transport California marijuana to states where it is not legal, like Utah, they could be at risk of very serious criminal allegations.
Recognizing what circumstances justify drug charges can help people avoid potentially criminal mistakes and respond appropriately to pending charges. Legalization measures do not eliminate the possibility of prosecution for marijuana offenses.
