TSA says hemp products and CBD medications now cleared to fly

Heading out of town? Now your cannabis can come along, too.

In an update to its website’s “What Can I Bring?” section, the Travel Security Administration clarified that Food and Drug Administration-approved hemp products like certain CBD medications are now allowed in both carry-on and checked bags.

The clarified language was quietly posted last week.

In the past, TSA did not differentiate between marijuana and other hemp derivatives and warned that cannabis products wouldn’t be allowed in carry-on bags or checked luggage.

Marijuana Moment, a marijuana policy blog, first reported the update.

In December the $867 billion federal Farm Bill, among other things, classified hemp as an agricultural commodity and took it off the federal controlled substances list. Hemp, a form of the cannabis plant, contains only trace amounts of THC — the naturally occurring component in marijuana that produces a high. Cannabinoid oil, or CBD, can be extracted and processed from the hemp plant to be used for medicinal purposes.

Even though the FDA has approved certain hemp and CBD products, the sale of those products was not legal in Florida until the state passed a bill to authorize a state hemp program this spring.

The governor has not yet signed the bill into law.

Possession of marijuana and some other cannabis products is still illegal under federal law, and TSA officers will still be required to report any suspected possession violations, a TSA spokeswoman said. If any illegal substances are found during the routine security screening, the TSA refers the matter to local law enforcement.

TSA confirmed that its officers were being briefed on the change, which came about after the FDA approved a cannabis-derived medication called Epidiolex.

Some local airports said the rule change would not change the way they operate, while others were not aware any policies were altered at all.