This blog often discusses criminal defense issues. One such popular topic has been our blog post on what happens if the TSA catches you with drugs. This blog post examined the ins and outs of what happens at the airport and locally, should a TSA officer find drugs on you or in your bags at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport or Dallas Love Field Airport.
Not searching for drugs
There may be some confusion about the TSA and what they do. To be clear, TSA officers are not looking for drugs or marijuana. That is not what they do. They are there to make sure that weapons and explosives do not make it onto the airplane. This is why they differ from local law enforcement for drugs.
Edibles?
Another clarification from the prior Dallas, Texas, blog post is edibles and their legality. Edibles are treated the same as marijuana and are not allowed on the airplane. However, since TSA officers are not specifically searching for drugs, unless the packaging makes it obvious that they are edibles, they will likely be allowed through the TSA checkpoint, regardless of their legality locally.
What about CBD?
The legality of the CBD product revolves around its THC percentage. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 0.03% and lower. As such, as long as the CBD products fall below this limit, you can fly with them. Keep in mind though, that if it is liquid, TSA has a carry-on limit policy of 3.4 ounces or fewer per liquid item.
What about medical marijuana ID cards?
Some of our readers wondered about medical marijuana ID cards and whether that affected their ability to travel with marijuana or edibles. Bluntly, it does not matter to TSA. According to industry experts, while you may be treated a bit more leniently, depending on the airport, it has little effect in law. Plus, keep in mind that the TSA agent has no ability to verify the card, and if the state you are in does not have a medical-marijuana program, the card means nothing. As such, the likely result will be that, if marijuana is illegal locally, you will still be passed onto local law enforcement.
Again, the key to this conversation is that, even if you could get away with it, or might not get prosecuted for it, it is always safer to not travel with marijuana in Dallas, Texas, and throughout the country. Remember, if you are traveling to a place where it is legal, just buy it there and avoid the headaches, potential jailtime and fines.