Flying with Cannabis from Washington Airports Is Risky

You plan to see family during the holiday season. Among the things you pack is a prescription for legal medical marijuana, which is stowed away along with your laptop, charger, and other personal items in your carry-on. Are you legally allowed to bring cannabis on board a flight? After all, you are flying out of a Washington airport. Right? Medical marijuana is legal in Washington. There is a bottom line to flying domestically here in the US.

If you bring cannabis on board a US flight from Washington, or any state in America, you are legally on federal territory. State laws will no longer apply.

Aren’t passengers at Sea-Tac still legally allowed to carry marijuana in Washington?

No. Federal law considers marijuana, including medical cannabis, illegal. Airports, aircraft, and airspace are governed by federal law. Under the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, regardless of state legalization. It's important to know that when you embrace and say goodbye to your family on the curb in front of Pangborn, Spokane International, or Sea-Tac airport, you leave Washington state law behind and enter federal jurisdiction. TSA isn’t actively looking for drugs, but if they stumble upon them, they will call in federal law enforcement nearby.

What cannabis is allowed

Only “hemp-derived products” (most CBD oils, gummies, or topicals) with no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis are federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. FDA-approved cannabis-derived meds (like Epidiolex for epilepsy) are okay if carried in their original pharmacy-labeled containers.

What cannabis is not allowed aboard US domestic & international flights

The following items are prohibited in carry-on and checked bags under federal law. (Airlines can also ban it outright in their contracts of carriage.) Anything that exceeds 0.3% THC. This includes most recreational weed, edibles, vapes, or concentrates. All other forms of marijuana, even if they're legal in Washington or other permitting states. This includes flower, THC gummies over the limit, and pre-rolls.