People use cannabis for recreation, stress relief, or for health reasons, and many users find it easier to use in the form of edibles.
But whether you enjoy your edibles for recreational use, mental health, or pain relief, you’ll have the same question when it comes to travel. Are edibles allowed in checked luggage when you travel?
This issue is further complicated by the fact that cannabis is legal in certain states but not in others.
Are you using cannabis edibles? Do you wish to travel with them? Read this guide to safe travel with edibles first. You’ll learn the facts about edibles and air travel and what to do if your edibles are ‘discovered.’
So, what qualifies to go in your checked luggage, and does it matter how much you carry? We checked the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) rules on this issue so you can make informed decisions when traveling by air with edibles or other cannabis products.
If you’re traveling with cannabis edibles, you may be concerned about taking them through airport security.
Let’s be clear: while airport security generally has bigger issues to deal with than your space cakes and weed brownies, it is illegal to transport cannabis products onto a plane if they contain more than 0.3% THC.
Airport security is more concerned about weapons, flammable liquids and gases, and anything that goes boom. So, while always on the lookout for drug mules carrying illicit drugs, they’re not overly worried about your personal stash of hash.
Regardless, if you are caught, you could miss your flight or face law enforcement agencies.
CBD oil is made by extracting cannabidiol from the cannabis plant and then diluting it with a carrier oil. Most CBD oils only have a very low concentration of THC (the more psychoactive ingredient in cannabis). Some brands don’t contain THC at all but contain CBD and aromatic cannabis terpenes.
So can you travel with this in your luggage? If it contains less than 0.3% THC, it’s usually fine to travel with it. However, it will also be subject to the TSA’s liquids rule for air travel.
This means that your CBD oil may not exceed 3.4 ounces, and you should contain it in a 1-quart plastic bag to pass through security in carry-on luggage. You may travel with a larger amount in your checked baggage, but the THC percentage must still be less than 0.3%.
Many cannabis enthusiasts mistakenly believe they can freely transport cannabis between states where it’s legal. However, it’s crucial to understand that state laws permitting cannabis use do not apply to air travel.
Even if you find yourself in a state that embraces cannabis, taking high-THC products on a plane is not allowed.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for screening airport passengers, luggage, and air cargo across the United States to detect prohibited and dangerous materials.
When it comes to packing, certain items are allowed in carry-on luggage but not in checked bags, and vice versa. Yet, cannabis is strictly prohibited in all types of baggage. It cannot be carried into an airport or onto a plane on your person.
Despite federal laws categorizing marijuana and some cannabis-infused products as illegal, there are exceptions. The TSA permits cannabis-related products with no more than 0.3% THC on a dry weight basis or those approved by the FDA to be brought into airports and onto airplanes.
These regulations apply uniformly to carry-on and checked luggage, regardless of whether you’re in a state where cannabis use is legal.
The TSA’s focus is not on scrutinizing your personal collection of edibles. They function as a safety and security association, prioritizing identifying threats within the airport and on the plane.
The TSA also emphasizes on its website that its security officers do not actively search for marijuana or illegal drugs. However, if any illicit substance is discovered during screening, the TSA will refer the matter to law enforcement.
When you enter a TSA security checkpoint, you automatically enter a federally controlled territory. The federal government operates airports. At the federal level, cannabis is still illegal, apart from the abovementioned exceptions.
Therefore, the same laws apply regardless of whether your edible is in your checked luggage or carry-on bags. As mentioned, CBD products in any form are the exception as long as the THC level does not exceed 0.3%.
This is where the problem comes in with edibles. You cannot be sure your homemade edibles or oils meet this requirement. When you purchase edibles or CBD oils from a reputable, legal dispensary, they can guarantee the contents. The percentage of THC in homemade goods is hard to measure
Remember, it’s your job to show that the product you’re carrying follows the rules. So, always bring your CBD in the original package. Check that the package clearly says what’s inside, including the ingredients and how much THC it has, if any.
Edibles are usually only detected if something has alerted airport security to potential prohibited substances. They may thoroughly check your bags or get sniffer dogs to smell your luggage. This is generally what TSA agents will do at any US airport.
You probably won’t face severe repercussions if you’re found with edibles in your luggage. But you’ll likely miss your flight while local authorities are called. They’ll confiscate your edibles and may alert the local police.
This is up to the discretion of the TSA agents, and in weed-friendly states, it may not become a legal issue. To minimize the fuss, keep edibles in one place so they’re quickly retrieved and handed over. If you are determined to travel with edibles in your checked luggage, you do so at your own risk.
If you are traveling with edibles purchased from a legal marijuana dispensary, leave them sealed and store them with items in similar wrapping. Don’t try to hide these on your person – this will quickly be detected and look more suspicious than warranted.
If you get to the airport and have a change of heart about traveling with edibles or other cannabis products, some airports in states where weed is legal offer you a way out.
Cannabis amnesty bins at airports are designated containers where travelers can dispose of any cannabis products before going through security.
These bins are provided to allow passengers who may have accidentally brought cannabis with them to discard it safely without facing legal consequences.
It’s a way for people to avoid trouble if they realize they have cannabis on them and want to comply with airport regulations. The contents of these bins are typically discarded securely by airport authorities.
These are the most common queries we hear when it comes to travel with edibles and related cannabis products.
Drug-sniffing dogs are often used when the presence of illicit drugs or other prohibited substances is suspected. They have a keen sense of smell and can detect the aromatic terpenes in various cannabis products. This includes marijuana edibles and THC gummies.
Drug-sniffing dogs are not used on all luggage, only when prohibited substances are suspected. For that matter, not all drug-sniffing dogs are trained to detect the cannabinoids in edibles. However, many are, and there’s always the small risk that if drug-sniffing dogs are present, they may sniff out your edibles.
Storing your edibles in vacuum-sealed, non-porous, or airtight containers may help to avoid detection. But it’s not a guaranteed solution. Drug-sniffer dogs have about 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses – that’s 50 times more than humans!
The airspace is a federal territory, so you may not take cannabis on your flight. This applies whether you’re flying within states where cannabis is legal or between states that both allow it for recreational use.
If you travel from one state with cannabis, you’re breaking the law of the state where you bought it, the state you’re entering, and federal law.
Even if an item is generally permitted for air travel, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint. This happens if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other in-flight security concerns.
Medical marijuana and recreational cannabis are legal in many US states, but it remains an illegal Schedule I substance at the federal level nationwide. Even a small amount mixed in granola, muffins, cupcakes, or a bottle of homemade cannabis oil could be seen as a contravention of federal law.
If you are caught with cannabis edibles exceeding the THC limit in your checked luggage at the airport, TSA officers will alert the local authorities. You probably won’t be locked up, especially if you’re in a state where weed is legal. Officers will confiscate your stash irrespective of where you live or the airport.
According to federal aviation regulations, it’s a no-go for any airline to let someone on board if they seem intoxicated. This includes being under the influence of drugs like marijuana, even if it’s legal or decriminalized in your city or state.
Here’s the catch: some types of marijuana, especially edibles, can take a while to kick in. If you’ve consumed marijuana right before your flight, you might not feel the effects immediately, but they could hit you mid-air.
Flying while intoxicated isn’t just a matter of breaking rules. It can seriously mess with your ability to react in emergencies. Plus, your behavior might become a problem for the crew and other passengers. So, it’s not just about the rules – it’s about keeping everyone safe up there.
You may be using cannabis edibles for medical reasons, and have a medical marijuana patient ID. However, the result is the same. If cannabis is found on your person or in your luggage, airport security will confiscate it and may alert the local authorities.
This will happen even in a state that has legalized cannabis for medical use. Your medical status does not affect federal rulings on this matter.
You may, however, travel with CBD oil that contains less than 0.3% THC if stored correctly in your checked luggage according to the TSA’s liquids rules. It’s hard to prove that homemade oils and edibles contain less than 0.3%, so stick to legal commercial CBD oils that are THC-free or have a very low concentration.
Having a medical marijuana card is like your golden ticket to buy cannabis from specific dispensaries. But these cards are issued at the state level, meaning they’re only good in the state that issued them.
Taking your medical marijuana across state lines is a no-go, even if it’s for medical reasons and you’ve got the card. So, it’s smart to know which states accept out-of-state medical cards, just in case you encounter such a situation.
If you’re heading to a state with medical marijuana reciprocity (there are currently 13 of them), you might be able to get some from a dispensary. Just keep in mind, the rules for reciprocity can vary from state to state.
If you’re a medical marijuana patient with a valid card, it is advisable to thoroughly research the specific state you plan to visit when it comes to their stance on medical marijuana reciprocity.
Traveling with edibles is always risky, even in a weed-friendly state. The TSA is not trying to ruin your good time, nor are they trying to disrupt any medical marijuana program you’re on. They’re merely following federal law while carrying out their security duties.
Unless you draw attention to yourself, your edibles will likely go unnoticed. But for peace of mind, stick to low-THC oils or gummies that meet TSA regulations.
At Embarc, we have a wide range of top-quality cannabis products that you can use on the go, from CBD oils to candy and other edibles.
