If you forget you left a marijuana product in your luggage, what will happen if it’s found at the airport? The answer is changing—and changing fast
The majority of U.S. states have now legalized access to marijuana, whether it’s for recreational or medical use.
People ranging from young adults to great-grandmothers now casually use low doses of cannabis to manage conditions like stress or insomnia, and millions of Americans now carry their doses as casually as car keys or a tube of lip balm.
For travelers, that’s where the trouble comes in. When you’re bringing packed bags through airport security, it’s easy to forget that you’ve thrown those CBD tabs in your backpack or tucked a tin of edibles in your toiletries bag.
Is the Transportation Security Administration looking for pot anymore?
In a word, no.
Technically, even though most states have legalized cannabis with restrictions, marijuana remains federally illegal. But the TSA is most concerned with that S initial—the one that stands for security.
The agency announced as much in early 2019 (before many states legalized cannabis) on Instagram. “Let us be blunt: TSA officers DO NOT search for marijuana or other illegal drugs. Our screening procedures are focused on security and detecting potential threats.”
But then came the caveat: “But in the event a substance appears to be marijuana or a cannabis infused product, we’re required by federal law to notify law enforcement. This includes items that are used for medicinal purposes.”
It’s possible that the TSA is trying to send a message from between the lines: If you don’t store your cannabis-derived substances in the original packaging that lists its contents as cannabis products, the TSA agent won’t know that’s what you’re carrying and there will be no obligation to report you.
To Read The Rest Of This Article By Jason Cochran on Frommer’s
Published: November 12, 2021
