TSA Allows Some MMJ Products on Flights

The Transportation Security Administration has updated its website to clarify that air travelers are permitted to bring some cannabis-derived products aboard airplanes and in their checked luggage. The change allows passengers to possess hemp-derived CBD products and Food and Drug Administration-approved cannabis-derived medical products – namely Epidiolex.

The change was first reported by Marijuana Moment.

In a CNN report, TSA indicated the agency “was made aware of an FDA-approved drug that contains CBD oil for children who experience seizures from pediatric epilepsy” and “immediately updated” its website once they were aware of the issue.

The updated section says that while the agency’s officers “do not search for marijuana and other illegal drugs,” if they find any illegal substances they “will refer the matter to law enforcement” – regardless of whether the products are discovered in a state where the products are legal – because TSA is a federal agency.

In 2017, TSA’s “What can I bring” tool had been briefly updated to show that the agency would allow medical cannabis on flights; however, the agency later said it was “a mistake in the database.”

Last year, California’s LAX airport updated its policies to allow cannabis possession on the property but not necessarily through TSA checkpoints. In Alaska, some licensed cannabis producers are allowed to transport products in-state on commercial airlines since some Alaskan communities are only accessible by air or sea.