TSA Has Some Advice for Traveling With Marijuana Ahead of 4/20

Little more more than a week to go until the high holiday, which feels like as good a time as any to remind you that, no, you still can’t travel with your marijuana…technically.

I say technically because the TSA isn’t looking for your weed, or any other illicit drugs for that matter. Their primary focus is mitigating security threats (of which your marijuana is not). So if you’re discreet enough, you could feasibly get it through a security checkpoint. That said, if they do find it, they will report it.

Per the administration’s website, “Marijuana and certain cannabis-infused products, including some Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, remain illegal under federal law except for products that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis or that are approved by FDA. (See the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Pub. L. 115-334.) TSA officers are required to report any suspected violations of law to local, state or federal authorities.”

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“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 if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer,” it goes on to say.

From there, as a report from Travel Pulse notes, the police will determine whether to initiate a criminal investigation or to drop it altogether and allow the traveler to continue on with the “contraband,” pending local marijuana laws.

However,”TSA’s response to the discovery of marijuana is the same in every state and at every airport — regardless of whether marijuana has been or is going to be legalized,” TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said. “This also covers medical marijuana.”

In other words, you probably shouldn’t chance it. If you must travel on 4/20, toke up before you go.