You are one of those people that just cannot handle flights and being on an airplane just gives you the chills. As studies have proven that CBD helps to relieve anxiety, you might want to take some with you to calm you on the plane.
But here is the question, will my CBD get past the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)?
Well, earlier this year officials arrested a 71-year-old woman at Dallas/fort-worth International Airport in May because they found CBD in her carry-on and she spent 2 nights in jail.
It still depends even though the TSA loosened their regulations around the CBD products.
Marijuana and certain cannabis-infused products including cannabidiol (CBD) oil are still illegal under federal law and will not make it through government screening, says Carrie Harmon, a TSA spokesperson. CBD products that are made from hemp contain no more than 0.3 percent THC and are legal under the Farm Bill of 2018. THC is the component that makes you experience that “high”. “The FDA recently warned companies that adding CBD to foods or dietary supplements is illegal because it has not been declared to be GRAS, or generally recognized as safe.”
The TSA’s updated its regulations and allow you to legally bring the following products onboard:
- Medical marijuana
- Products that contain no more than 0.3% THC
- FDA-approved products. The only one that is currently approved is EPIDOLEX (cannabidiol), and it treats two rare and severe forms of epilepsy.
Here is what you can do:
If you are traveling with medical marijuana or an FDA approved drug, make sure to take your prescription if there are any questions. But keep the marijuana or die FDA drug in their original packaging. And when it comes to CBD products, get the product’s certificate of analysis/ COA.
“Print a copy of the certificate of analysis (or CoA) of the CBD product you are carrying so you have formal documentation of what that product is,” says Alex Wolfe, vice-president of business development for ShopCBD.com, an online specialty store representing 32 companies that sell hemp-derived products.
“Any good brand should be able to show you the CoA,” agrees Gary Avetisyan, who is co-owner of two Topical stores in the Los Angeles area selling CBD products. He says that way they will see that there is no THC or that it is lower than 0.3 percent.
Besides bringing the CoA, ”print out the latest regulations that TSA has posted or have the link to the latest regulations on your phone,” Wolfe suggests. This way if there is a new TSA agent or if there is someone unfamiliar with the regulations you know you have support.
Here are other options if the TSA regulations stress you out too much on an airport:
- You can check out if it is legal at the destination you are going to and rather buy it there
- Another option is to shop online or by a store before you go on your trip and then ship it to the destination you are going to
Los Angeles attorney Griffen Thorne, who is familiar with cannabis issues, urges passengers to be cautious. He recommends not taking CBD on their international flights.
“The laws in the jurisdiction you are flying to can be drastically different. Flying domestically with a CBD product is obviously less of a risk, but I still think there are risks.” Not everyone is up to date on the new TSA stance, he says. Hemp is not a controlled substance federally, he says, but people transporting it across state lines get pulled over. Law enforcement officials are not all familiar with the differences between hemp-derived CBD and cannabis-derived CBD.”
There you have it guys, if you and your family decide to go on a trip, you now know what to expect at the airport and what you have to do to prevent jail sentences or fines from happening. By following the regulations, you will have nothing to worry about.