Cruise Ships Are Kicking Off Passengers With Pot

livemint.com:

Cruise travelers wanting to smoke pot or chew gummies are running into a problem: cruise lines trying to eradicate all types of cannabis products on board. Cruise lines say they are simply following federal law, and that marijuana is illegal in many countries they sail to. They say that they also want to create a comfortable experience for nonusers.

The companies are warning passengers not to sail with cannabis products and ratcheting up efforts to identify people flouting their rules as their ships swell with travelers. Among the efforts, Carnival Cruise Line has started employing drug-sniffing dogs and is sending out multiple pre-cruise messages that warn against bringing on marijuana. Passengers say they are scared and confused amid the crackdown.

Some passengers have been kicked off ships in foreign ports or banned, while others say they have used the products openly with no repercussions. Josh DeLucio and his wife take about three cruises each year. He says he manages multiple medical conditions that cause chronic pain in his legs.

He never vacations without what he calls his mobile pharmacy, replete with prescription medications and other treatments. Among them: a topical salve containing CBD and THC that he says decreases his leg pain. He says he doesn’t enjoy the smell of marijuana or being around people using it recreationally, but says it helps him manage his pain occasionally.

“My fear is being on the seas or in a foreign country and needing something," says DeLucio, who lives in Richmond, Ind. After hearing about cases where passengers were kicked off cruises for having similar items, DeLucio said he is reconsidering whether to bring the products with him on future trips. Besides limiting potential legal