Can You Fly with Weed?

Sometimes, customers slide into our DMs with the question of, “Can I fly with weed?”. The simple answer to this questions is NO. But with vacations starting back up again and spring break around the corner, it’s a good time to explain why it’s a no-no when it comes to flying with weed.

America’s mix of cannabis laws has caused confusion with cannabis users, especially when it comes to flying with weed.

Federal law prohibits weed on planes, and the TSA has to follow that law. Yet in some states where cannabis is legal, they have their own rules that can make it seem okay to fly with weed. However, whether a legal state’s rules can make it seem like it is okay, these rules can make things even more confusing about what’s legal and what’s not.

Keep in mind: Just because police officers might not always enforce their own rules about flying with weed doesn’t mean you won’t get into trouble.

Keep reading to find out what’s actually okay, what’s sort of okay, and what’s a big no-no when it comes to flying with weed.

TSA Leaves it up to Local Police, Which Makes it more Complicated: 

First things first: Because federal law counts on airplanes, and weed is still illegal federally, it is 100% illegal to bring it on your flight. That includes medical marijuana, as well.

The TSA has said in the past they they’re not necessarily looking for your stash or edibles. They’re more concerned about keeping the flight safe for all passengers, not necessarily enforcing drug laws.

“TSA officers DO NOT search for marijuana or other illegal drugs,” the agency said on Instagram in 2019.

But, there’s a problem to this. If TSA finds weed in your bags, they have to tell the local police because they can’t arrest you themselves. In a state where weed is totally illegal, like Texas or Idaho, you could get in big trouble if found with weed in your bags. But in a state where weed is legal, like Colorado (where our other Green Dragon locations are), they might let you go if you’re within the legal limit. But here’s the tricky part: Sometimes, it depends on the officer whether they bust you or not, and if they let you keep your weed.

All in all, with the hypotheticals surrounding these scenarios, your safest bet is to fly high without soaring high if you catch our drift. If you don’t, let us be more clear: Just don’t fly with weed. It’s ILLEGAL. Illegal = Not allowed.

Medical Marijuana has its own Gray Areas:

Even though medical marijuana is treated like regular weed, even the TSA knows the rules aren’t clear.

In 2019, a TSA spokesperson said if you’re a medical patient caught with weed, “present your medical marijuana card, and the law enforcement officials will usually just give it back to you.” Notice the “usually.” Not exactly reassuring, is it?

CBD is Okay to Bring on a Plane

Here’s the clear part: Thanks to a law from 2018, you can bring CBD products on a plane if they have less than 0.3% THC. And similar with liquids, you can’t bring more than 3 ounces.

Just remember: You can bring a CBD vape pen in your carry-on, but not in checked luggage.

Don’t Mess with Border Patrol:

Everything we talked about so far is for domestic travel. Flying internationally with weed is a whole other story. If you’re hitting Cabo this spring or the EU or Mexico, don’t even think about it.

Taking weed across an international border is SUPER illegal. Don’t do it. Seriously, please. Don’t.

Even if you’re flying to Canada, where weed is legal, you’re under the rules of Border Control. Unlike TSA, they can arrest you for having weed.

And remember: Lots of countries have stricter weed laws than the US. If you get caught with weed in another country, you could end up in jail there. A more recent example of this is with Brittney Griner. 

Overall, we’re here to answer your questions the short way and the long way. Flying with weed is illegal. Can you fly with weed? No. Can you fly with weed domestically? No. Can you fly with weed internationally? Hell to the no.

We highly encourage that throughout your travels to your desired destination, to stay safe and be smart about flying with cannabis. At the end of the day, keep it legal and don’t push the bounds where you could end up in some serious trouble.

Green Dragon Florida Dispensary does not legally make any federal claims. The insight and copy provided in this blog was based solely on research. Green Dragon Florida Dispensary is here to educate readers on legal repercussions of traveling with cannabis paraphernalia ONLY. Please consult legal professionals or relevant authorities for specific legal advice.