Flying With CBD: What is the Current Law?

Flying with CBD in the United States, it’s 2019 and Industrial Hemp has been legalized and we have CBD in every corner of this great nation. Many of us are taking Cannabidiol for medical reasons, to help with various maladies and this trend is showing no signs of slowing. A question just came in that we felt we needed to jump on right away. We want our readers to have the most up to date information about the legality of hemp and flying with CBD, right now could be considered a bad idea. Take a couple of minutes to ingest this information, it might save you some trouble down the road.

CBD in our Daily Lives

As a daily supplement, there are thousands of people across the country taking CBD in one form or another for it’s perceived benefits. For many of us, it has become as routine as brushing our teeth in the morning or grabbing a cup of coffee on the way to work, it’s just another part of our everyday. One of the main uses for Cannabidiol is to help with anxiety, something that normally ramps up just before jumping into a metal box that’s going to hurtle us across the country along with a couple of hundred strangers. There is nothing more natural than wanting to make sure that you have CBD with you to knock down the feeling of “Aaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhhh” at 30,000 feet, as the baby in the row behind you continues to scream for hour number 2, but take our advice and leave it behind.

Flying With CBD: What the TSA Says

As far as the TSA is concerned, regardless of the passage of the Farm Bill, there is absolutely no difference between marijuana and hemp products. If they find either in your possession, they are calling the police and/or throwing your CBD in the bucket with suspected bombs.

To quote the TSA website directly:

Possession of marijuana and cannabis infused products, such as Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, is illegal under federal law. TSA officers are required to report any suspected violations of law, including possession of marijuana and cannabis infused products.

However, on the website, immediately under this strong warning they immediately added:

TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but in the event a substance that appears to be marijuana or a cannabis infused product is observed during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.

Take this as you will. They state that under Federal Law, traveling on a plane with cannabis-infused products is illegal.  While it is completely legal, and normal to transport CBD products across state lines and sell it in almost every store, the TSA has still got some catching up to do.

At the same time though, it is not the job of the TSA to search for illegal substances. They are there to ensure that no-one slips explosives onto a plane and generally harass old ladies to make sure that their toothpaste is actually toothpaste. If you put your CBD products in a container that didn’t say they were Cannabis-infused, you may be able to slip them past the guards, but we would advise against this. When you hit the ground at the other end, you have customs to worry about and there are always DEA agents walking around the airport hoping to catch someone for something. In all honesty, it isn’t worth the risk. If you are landing in a foreign country, the repercussions could be much worse than the continental US. Before you go anywhere, you should check the local laws on the ground — that 30ML tincture you left in your checked baggage could get you jail time in several places around the globe.

Airports, in general, are dangerous places to be carrying anything that could be remotely considered contraband, do yourself a favor and leave it outside the gates.

Leave Your CBD on The Ground

Take what you need to get you through the flight, take it before you get to the airport. Unless you are taking a long haul flight halfway around the world, you should be ok. When you land at the other end, if you are in the continental US, chances are that you will be able to pick up a CBD product at the first gas station you come to. If you are looking for specific products, check for local shops at your destination that carry them. If no-one carries them, you could order your product and have it mailed to your destination or if you already have what you need at home, mail it a couple of days before you head to the airport.

Conclusion

As of right now, flying with CBD products is against Federal Law. As much as it sucks, until the TSA catches up with the rest of the country we will have to deal with it. There are several workarounds to ensure that you have access to CBD products when you hit the ground at the other end of your journey.  Please, do us all a favor and don’t become a 6 o’clock news story. You don’t want to be the person that was arrested at the airport because of a pack of CBD gummies… you will never live it down!