As soon as cannabis becomes legal in your state or country, you might wonder if it’s legal to travel with it. The answer is yes… and also no! This blog will outline some of the intricacies of traveling with THC, CBD, and more.
This summer, my mom, my kids, and I traveled to Nova Scotia for a wedding. If you don’t already know, my mom is a huge cannabis lover. She’s the one who re-introduced me to it several years ago and helped me climb out of depression.
Since I was a kid, every time she travels somewhere, she’s always trying to smuggle stuff with her. For a long time, she was investigating how to get wine onto a cruise without being caught. So it wasn’t surprising when she was planning our trip out east that she was wondering, “Is it legal for me to travel with cannabis?”
Luckily for us here in Canada, the answer is a resounding YES (with some rules), but it gets stickier when you’re talking about traveling across borders and especially in the states.
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Can you travel in Canada with cannabis?
Can You Travel Between Canada and the United States with Cannabis?
Can You Travel Between Legal States with Cannabis?
Can You Fly OVER The United States with Cannabis?
Where can you find cannabis-friendly accommodations and events?
Can you travel in Canada with cannabis?
Thank you, Justin Trudeau. I hope I don’t lose readers for that statement, but I do have to shout out our prime minister for making good on his election promise to legalize cannabis in this beautiful country.
Since 2018, it’s been legal or EVERYONE to travel between provinces and territories with the sacred herb so long as you stay within these boundaries:
Keep your stash to 30 grams or less.
Keep your cannabis in containers that show how much is in there and also that it was legally purchased.
You can keep your cannabis right in your carry-on bag. No need to stow it under the plane.
That’s it! Follow those simple rules, and you’ll be golden heading through security.
We opted not to fly to Nova Scotia with cannabis so that we could check out the local dispensaries. My mom decided she needed two full ounces PLUS a bunch of pre-rolls for our tour. Even though we both love this stuff, that was still too much for us to consume in just over a week, so we ended up coming home with quite a bit.
It was so crazy just to put my weed in my suitcase and casually walk through the airport without a care in the world. Yay Canada!
Note: If you’re a Canadian with a medical prescription, you can legally carry significantly more cannabis on your person. You’ll need to follow the rules set out by Health Canada, and you’ll need to travel with your prescription, but you’re still good to go with your medicine!
If you’d like t to speak with a doctor and get your cannabis prescription in Canada, book your time with Apollo Cannabis Clinics. The appointment is free, and the benefits of having your prescription are wide-ranging. Check it all out and book your appointment here.
Can You Travel Between Canada and the United States with Cannabis?
For many people, the answer to this one is surprising. After all, cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, so it might make sense that you can take your stash with you.
However, don’t forget that at the federal level in the USA, cannabis is still considered a highly dangerous schedule one drug, and it is fully illegal. That’s right, even if you’re heading from Canada to Colorado or California, you’re still bringing an illegal substance into their country.
It’s illegal to fly into the states with cannabis, and yes, it’s even illegal to drive across the border with the magic herb. And the consequences for ignoring this rule can be stiff. You can face federal prison time plus a life-long ban on entering the country.
And yes, I know that you probably have a friend who sneaks cannabis gummies or chocolate into the states all the time and never gets caught. After all, it’s not like the feds are worried about a couple of grams of Acapulco Gold slipping over the border, but I still don’t think it’s worth the risk at all.
Many Canadians also mistakenly think that if they have a prescription, it surely must be fine for them to travel with their meds. Again, I’m sorry, but it’s just not true. The US government gives two hoots about our Canadian medical cannabis laws, and your THC medicine is illegal in their country.
And if you’re screaming at your computer, “What about CBD?” I can hear you! Although THC is federally illegal in the states, CBD is not. So does that mean you can happily show the border guard your craft hemp pre-rolls?
Nope.
I mean, you might get away with it, but I wouldn’t advise it. No border guard has time for you to explain nerdily that your joint has 0.3% THC or less. So, leave it at home and search for something on the ground when you’re stateside.
Can You Travel Between Legal States with Cannabis?
If cannabis is legal in Oregon and Washington, it would make sense that you could travel between the two with some THC gummies with no issues, right? Nope!
Yes, I know that people constantly take cannabis across state lines or mix their pot gummies in with some virgin ones, but that doesn’t make it legal, and if you were stopped for some reason by the feds, you’d be in trouble.
Unfortunately, until the USA figures out federal legalization of the plant, it’s hard to stay compliant with the law as a traveling cannabis lover. Too many people are still being locked up every day for crimes as simple as smoking a joint in public, and I don’t want you to be next!
The good news is that more and more states are coming online each year, so finding a place to search out good bud is getting easier. Simply spend some time on Google checking out the local cannabis laws and ensure you’re shopping from a legal source when you get there.
Note: If you have a cannabis recommendation/prescription from a doctor, see if the state you’re heading to has a reciprocal medical cannabis program. That means that you could show your recommendation to the dispensary in your destination, and you’d be able to purchase your medicine there! If you need a cannabis recommendation, I recommend Veriheal. They make the entire MMJ card process extremely simple, and you can save $20 off your appointment with the code: revealcannabis20
Can You Fly OVER The United States with Cannabis?
What if you’re traveling from one country where it’s legal to another? Is that okay? Theoretically, you could get from Canada to Uruguay, which both have country-wide recreational cannabis programs, without touching the USA.
But what if your plane has to make an emergency landing in Florida? I’m not saying this is likely, I just think the risk is too big to take. Besides, I think shopping for cannabis in Uruguay would be really fun.
Where can you find cannabis-friendly accommodations and events?
Once you figure out where you’re heading, you’ll want to find some cannabis-friendly accommodations and events, and I’ve got you covered here as well. Check out the amazing site HiBnb.life for places all across North America where you can lay your head and smoke your joints. But HiBnb is more than just an Air BnB for cannabis. They also feature loads of cannabis events and even have blogs about cannabis culture, news, and community.
Note: If you use my HiBnB link to book your next stay or event, I may get a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for that!
Recap: Can you travel with cannabis?
It depends on where you are! Even in fully legal countries like Canada, there are still limits and rules around traveling with cannabis, and in places like the United States, the law is even harder to follow. But, with just a little bit of planning and research, you can happily puff, puff, puff your way around North America and stay above the law.
Where is your favorite place to travel with cannabis? Let me know in the comments below and ask any canna questions you have. I answer them all.
See you next time,
Andrea
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