We Gotta Stop All This "Air Rage"
This press release should get a few reactions, no?
For Immediate Release
June 23, 2008
SAFER Will Call for Marijuana Lounges in Nation's Airports to Address Growing Concerns Over Drunk and Disorderly Airline Passengers
Group says marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol for pre-flight relaxation and relief from anxiety
Press conference TOMORROW (Tue., 6/24) in front of FAA Building in Denver
DENVER -- On Tuesday, June 24, at 12 p.m., Denver-based organization Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) will hold a press conference in front of the Denver Airports District Office of the Federal Aviation Administration (26805 E. 68th Ave.) to call for marijuana lounges in airports nationwide to address the growing number of in-flight problems involving drunk and disorderly passengers. In
SAFER will urge federal and local officials to allow the use of marijuana in airport smoking lounges so that adults have the ability to use the drug instead of alcohol to relax and deal with anxiety prior to their flights. The group points to scientific evidence that shows alcohol use contributes to the likelihood of violent and unruly behavior, whereas the use of marijuana actually makes such behavior less likely.
"Adults should be allowed another option for relaxing and dealing with their anxiety when they fly," said SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert. "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."
The Rocky Mountain News reported yesterday (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/23/flying-drunk-no-joke-feds-say-vowing-crackdown/) that federal officials "vowed to crack down on the record number of often-drunk passengers behaving badly on commercial airliners," following a federal hearing for a woman who got drunk and violent aboard a JetBlue flight, causing it to be diverted to Denver International Airport last week. The article cited U.S. Attorney Troy Eid, Colorado's top federal prosecutor, who said U.S. attorneys have been meeting to discuss addressing the "rising problems."
"This proposal would make our airways safer and we hope these federal prosecutors will give it some serious thought," Tvert said. "Such problems are bound to persist if we continue to allow passengers to drink and fly without giving them another outlet for relaxing and dealing with the anxiety before and during their travels."
In August, a Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Denver after a drunk passenger allegedly tried to choke another passenger, pushed a flight attendant and tried to touch a flight attendant inappropriately. One month earlier, a mother under the influence of alcohol was charged with interfering with a flight attendant and two counts of assault after being accused of striking her children, ages 2 and 4, on a flight from San Francisco to Denver.
The growing trend in incidents of "air rage" has caused some airlines, such as United, to create a committee to address the problem. According to Sara Nelson, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants at United:
"We have seen an increase in these incidents throughout the industry," said Sara Nelson, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants at United. "The biggest frustration is delays and cancellations, and that has the added problem of people sitting at airports and going to a bar and drinking alcohol. Alcohol is a leading cause of air-rage incidents."
Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is a Colorado-based non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the harmful consequences associated with alcohol, as compared to the safer—yet illegal—substance: marijuana. It was behind the successful ballot initiative that made Denver the first U.S. city to remove all penalties for adult marijuana possession. For more information, see http://www.SAFERchoice.org.
WHAT: Press conference to call for marijuana lounges at airports nationwide
WHEN: TOMORROW, Tuesday, June 24, 12 p.m. (noon)
WHERE: In front of the Denver Airports District Office of the Federal Aviation Administration, 26805 E. 68th Avenue, Denver
WHO: Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER)
Matt Simon
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