Can You Travel with CBD?

The world of Hemp and Cannabis can get a bit confusing when trying to decipher what is and isn’t legal, especially when you are hoping to travel across country, or to another country, with your favorite CBD products. That’s exactly why we’ve created this post, to explain what will and will not fly (pun intended).

TSA Basics

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the division of the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for operating transport related security. In other words, they’re the people in the airport who run the security checks. You know, the ones you wait in the really long line for, just to have to take off your shoes and jacket while you’re fumbling to unpack your bag and take out your laptop. Yes, those security checks.

While the TSA is responsible for making sure your carry-on baggage is safe, they also have the ability to run security checks on all checked baggage, locked or unlocked. In addition to these duties, they set the rules for what you can and cannot check and what you can and cannot carry onto the airplane.

As we all know, it is illegal to fly with any illegal substance. But CBD, and both medical and recreational marijuana, are legal in some states. “Some” being the keyword. Which begs the question, can you fly with this newly legalized substance?

TSA CBD Rules

For a while, the TSA had strict rules against flying with any marijuana-related product, including CBD. CBD was forbidden in transit, including when flying from one state where CBD is legal to another. At that point in time, if a TSA officer had found CBD anywhere in your luggage, it would be treated as if they had found any other illegal substance.

This all changed in May of 2019. As of now, the TSA allows medical marijuana substances onto the plane in both checked and carry-on baggage. However, you must follow the “special instructions” which, shockingly, are not easy to understand.

For the CBD users reading this post, any CBD product you travel with must contain less than 0.3% THC and be approved by the FDA. But this is where it gets pretty murky; while most CBD products are not currently approved by the FDA, your average, every day TSA officer is quite unlikely to know the difference.

Should You Fly with CBD?

While the laws regarding CBD and flying remain confusing, this decision comes down to whatever is more important to the individual.

While it is true that many TSA officers won’t know whether your CBD is FDA approved, there may be some who will question you and give you a hard time. Not to mention, it is still illegal to travel with CBD containing over 0.3% THC. Needless to say, there is risk involved.

With this in mind, it is up to you to decide whether the effects of using your CBD on a regular basis outweigh the potential risks associated with traveling with the substance. If you do decide it’s worth it (we don’t blame you), make sure you are purchasing from companies that offer products with THC levels belowe the legal limit of 0.3%, like HoneyRoot Wellness.

Trust us, we know how important it is to have your CBD on hand, so let’s just hope you don’t get stuck with a grumpy TSA officer.