PASSENGERS FLY HIGH IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Travellers Use Pot Vaporizer to Ingest Drug Aboard Flight

Calgary travellers likely made their way into the Canadian record
books earlier this month.

As first reported yesterday on metronews.ca/calgary, the group of
four boarded a WestJet flight June 2 with a marijuana vaporizer and
proceeded to use it throughout the flight without any hassle from
flight attendants or fellow passengers.

Coincidentally, they were heading to a conference regarding medical
marijuana use in Toronto.

"I just used it in my seat," said Lisa Kirkman.

"They don't produce any smoke. That's kind of the reason this can be
done. There's no combustion involved."

All four members are licensed to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Kirkman also used the drug while waiting to board to ease nausea. She
had recently undergone intestinal surgery and was in a great deal of
discomfort.

"I wouldn't have been able to go without it," she said. "It's a long flight."

Representatives with Transportation Canada said this was the first
time they had been alerted to a vaporizer being used aboard a plane
and were looking into the matter.

WestJet is waiting on confirmation from the organization on whether
the practice is acceptable, spokesperson Robert Palmer said.

Kirkman did call ahead to WestJet to confirm with a representative at
West- Jet's call centre before bringing the vaporizer onboard.

"I wasn't breaking any laws," she said. "If you can use an inhaler on
the plane there's no reason why I can't use my vaporizer."