Toker Tourists Leaving Marijuana in Rental Cars

While employees of the Denver International Airport say it is not unusual for travelers to slip them a little green as a token of gratitude for exceptional service, the workers outside in the rental car lot say, for them, that green is typically a handful of weed.

According to reports, toking tourists leaving the Mile High City have been handing their leftover marijuana to rental car agents because they are afraid of a shakedown in the airport. “It happens quite often,” one rental car employee told CBS Denver. “Every couple of days.”

Another employee at a competing rental car agency said departing travelers hand her their unwanted weed several times throughout the course of a workday. “It happens pretty often. More during the weekends. Probably like four times a day,” she said.

However, it appears as though some workers do not appreciate this fried fringe benefit. “I just throw it in the trash,” said one employee, while another, shockingly, said the same.

This pot-ditching phenomenon seems to be a regular occurrence at Denver International because tourists are aware that smuggling marijuana through the terminal could result in unwanted trouble with the law. This is because even though marijuana is legal in Colorado, it is still a major no-no in the eyes of the federal government and therefore, prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Yet, airport officials say they have not had any problems with travelers attempting to shimmy the system by sneaking stoner souvenirs passed security checkpoints. And even those individuals caught with weed have simply been asked to throw it away. “We want them to discard it peacefully and carry on with their trip,” Stacey Stegman, a spokesperson with the airport told CBS Denver. “We don’t want to have to issue a citation, we don’t want anyone to get in trouble.”

Unfortunately, while some rental car employees throw away perfectly good weed, others are forced to work without a buzz. “We try not to let it get to the car wash bay because those guys will take it.”