Can You Travel On A Plane With Medical Marijuana?

Cannabis may be recreationally legal in states like California and Colorado. But that doesn’t mean that all cannabis is legal all the time.

Just like smoking cigarettes indoors or driving with open alcohol, there are limits to what you can do with your legally purchased cannabis. This is especially true if you’re looking to travel with cannabis, and that includes medical marijuana.

For patients with medical conditions, traveling with their medicine can be a major source of anxiety. The thought of leaving your medicine behind—or worse, facing legal consequences for traveling with it—can be downright terrifying.

The question “Can you travel on a plane with medical marijuana?” doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer. Sadly, it’s a tangled-up mess of federal and state laws, TSA policies, and some notable risks.

This guide covers everything you need to know about flying with medical marijuana and alternatives to consider when you can’t access your usual medicine.

Traveling with medical marijuana is complicated due to the ongoing conflict between federal and state laws.

Here’s where things get tricky—cannabis remains illegal under federal law and is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.

That means it’s illegal to use, buy, possess, tell, and transport across state lines—even if you have a medical card. Crossing state lines with cannabis, even medical marijuana, can be considered drug trafficking—a federal offense you definitely want to avoid.

On the other hand, states have their own laws regarding the legality and use of medical cannabis:

• 38 states and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana
• 24 states and D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana
• Each state has different laws and regulations

This legal patchwork makes traveling with medical marijuana complicated. Even if cannabis is legal in your departure state, it may not be in your destination state, making it difficult for medical patients who rely on it.

You probably recognize TSA agents as the serious-looking officers in blue uniforms scanning luggage and making travelers nervous.

While the TSA could technically try to take law enforcement action against you if you’re caught with cannabis, the truth is that they’re much more concerned with weapons that threaten the safety of passengers.

If you’re caught with cannabis by a TSA agent, their typical policy is to contact local law enforcement officials. But if this happens to you in certain legal cannabis states like California, you won’t suffer any repercussions since cannabis is not illegal there.

Instead, you’ll likely be given options to either:

• Throw it out
• Store it
• Hand it off to a friend who isn’t flying

But in other legal states, like Nevada, airport-wide bans on cannabis may be in place.

This is one reason why some cities like Denver and Las Vegas have installed “amnesty boxes” where travelers can safely dispose of their cannabis without fear of persecution, rather than frantically flushing it down the airport toilets or cramming it into garbage cans at the last minute.

TSA just scanned your bag, and you were pulled to the side. After a thorough search, the agents found your medical marijuana. What now?

The outcome depends on a few key factors:

The Airport Location

Where you’re flying from matters. In states where medical or recreational cannabis is legal, local police may simply check your medical marijuana card and return your product if you’re within state possession limits.

However, some airports (like in Nevada and Illinois) have airport-wide cannabis bans, meaning you may be forced to discard your cannabis or leave the airport.

A few major airports, like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), actually allow passengers to possess legal amounts of cannabis within the airport—but you still can’t take it past TSA or board a plane with it.

The Amount You’re Carrying

Bigger quantities raise bigger red flags. Ounces of weed will trigger a more dramatic response from TSA compared to a few grams.

Your Documentation

Having your medical marijuana card and proper product packaging goes a long way. It shows agents that you’re a legitimate medical marijuana user.

While this won’t override federal law, it may affect how local law enforcement responds.

In some airports, you’re practically in the clear to travel with medical marijuana. But state laws are not created equal. Sadly, there are plenty of risks when it comes to bringing medical marijuana on a plane.

Legal Consequences

Since cannabis is still illegal under federal law, it doesn’t really matter if you’re a medical marijuana patient—especially when traveling to a state or county where cannabis is illegal. Some consequences include:

• Confiscation
• Fines and penalties
• Trip interruptions or cancellation
• Legal fees and court appearances
• Misdemeanor or felony charges (depending on amount)

Travel Disruptions

If you’re pulled aside for carrying cannabis, you could miss your flight entirely.

Even worse, if an airline deems you in violation of their policies, they may refuse to let you board or even ban you from flying with them in the future.

If you’re forced to throw away your supply, you could be left without your medication at your destination, making travel difficult.

If you couldn’t tell by now, traveling with medical marijuana can be complex.

Even though it’s your rightful medicine, and you should be able to consume it whenever needed—that’s simply not the case.

Research Before You Go

Before landing at your destination, do some thorough research to determine whether you can travel with medical marijuana or not.

Research things like:

• Laws at your destination (both state and local)
• Medical marijuana dispensaries
• Other legal alternatives

Alternatives to medical marijuana exist, and most of them are legal and available throughout the United States:

CBD Products

These are federally legal as long as they contain less than 0.3% THC.

FDA-Approved Pharmaceuticals

Some THC-like medications exist, like Marinol (synthetic THC) or Epidiolex (CBD-based anti-seizure medication).

Temporary Medical Card

Some states allow out-of-state visitors to apply for temporary medical marijuana cards.

Recreational purchases

If your destination has legal recreational cannabis and you’re 21+.

We simply can’t say that you’re okay to travel with medical marijuana, as that seriously depends on where you’re landing. But, if you choose to do so, here are some practices that may reduce your risk:

• Carry your medical documentation
• Keep products in original packaging
• Keep it packed until outside the airport(s)
• Bring only what you need (minimum amount)
• Know the quantity limits at departure and arrival locations

In most cases, traveling with medical marijuana isn’t worth the challenges and legal hurdles. Some countries have incredibly harsh penalties, and you must be aware of the potential consequences before making that decision.

If you’re caught possessing cannabis in a country where it’s illegal, you might face some pretty severe consequences:

• Heavy fines
• Prison sentences
• Permanent entry bans

Case In Point

Remember Brittney Griner’s situation? You don’t want to end up in another country’s prison over weed. In 2022, the WNBA star was detained for months in Russia after they found a weed cart in her luggage. And yes, she’s a medical cardholder in Arizona. You think Russian officers cared about that? Definitely not.

Traveling to a country where cannabis is legal or decriminalized? Your best bet is picking up new medicine at your destination. Here’s why:

• Importing cannabis usually remains illegal
• Tourists may be treated differently than residents
• Foreign medical marijuana cards are rarely recognized

The cannabis industry and its surrounding laws change like the seasons. Always keep an eye out for these factors:

• Federal rescheduling (fingers crossed)
• State-to-state medical marijuana compatibility
• More states are implementing reciprocity programs

What Won’t Change Soon

While laws can change fast, there are a few things we don’t expect to budge any time soon. Those challenges include:

• International travel with cannabis
• Countries will continue to set their own rules regardless of U.S. laws
• The TSA will still pull you aside until cannabis is federally rescheduled

Cannabis laws from states to countries are challenging to keep up with. They’re different everywhere you go. That means traveling with medical marijuana can be pretty difficult for rightful patients.

Your best bet?

• Researching destination laws before traveling
• Find last-case-scenario legal alternatives like CBD
• Ask your healthcare provider about other alternatives
• Search for reciprocity options or temporary cards at your destination
• Traveling to states and countries where medical or recreationally cannabis is legal (or decriminalized)

It’s sad to say that medical patients will still face challenges when bringing medical marijuana on a plane. But with the practices above, you should connect with your rightful medicine without causing a scene.