New "Cannabis Is Legal" TSA Bins Being Used in California
The next time you go through security in a California airport, you might be surprised by what you find in the bottom of your plastic bin. New "CANNABIS IS LEGAL" ads are now running in TSA security lines in Ontario Airport (ONT) outside Los Angeles, California.
After years of broad use under medical marijuana laws, recreational cannabis will be wholly legal in California for those 21 years of age and older starting January 1, 2018. However, as the bin educates in smaller print: "Traveling with it is not. Leave it in California."
Unsurprisingly, Organa Brands, the company behind the public service-style advertisements as well as one of the largest cannabis brands in the country, is heralding this as a landmark move.
"We have long known that California is about to become the biggest recreational cannabis market in the world, and as [one of] the largest brands in the space, we feel a real responsibility to educate consumers," company co-founder Jeremy von Heidl explained to The Points Guy. "There's obvious confusion surrounding cannabis laws — even the TSA at times has been confused as to these policies."
The security bin idea is the brainchild of company PR manager (and self-professed TPG reader) Jackson Tilley, who had to get the idea past von Heidl first. "He thought I was crazy. I'm pretty sure he still thinks I'm crazy," said Tilley.
In the end it all worked out. After Sacramento Airport (SMF) initially backed away from the ad campaign, Ontario Airport agreed to the idea. Organa expects over 15 million impressions in ONT alone — which we're guessing will create quite the buzz among travelers.
What do you think of the new bins?
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