Right now it’s currently 80 degrees in Hawaii. Some of you reading this don’t even remember what 80 degrees feels like. As you’re booking the next red-eye and then proceed to to pack your bags you wonder if it’ll be ok to fly with your marijuana?
Straight answer, marijuana is still consider a Schedule 1 substance according to federal law.
So it depends on who is enforcing the law but airport jurisdiction can be somewhat complicated. According to the TSA website the TSA does not search for marijuana during the security screening process. Their main focus is on any potential threats to the flight and the passengers.
But in the event that any marijuana, edibles or cannabis extracts does somehow appear during the screening process the TSA will defer the matter to a law enforcement officer.
There’s a misconception that at the secure areas of an airport it falls under federal jurisdiction. Haichi Ko, a former Air Accident Investigator, stated:
This is not quite true. The secure areas follow local government’s jurisdiction. He further says one evidence of this is at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport where the secure areas has slot machines but gambling is illegal on federal property.
On my last trip to Hawaii I had no issues with my vape pen and oil cartridges tucked in my carry on.
But it’s a good idea to lookup and understand the visiting state’s law in regards to marijuana before flying and this is especially true if you’re traveling internationally. Not every country is as lax as the United States when it comes to cannabis.
Happy travels!
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