Can You Bring CBD Oil On Planes?

Now that recreational marijuana use is legal in eight states, more people are finding themselves wondering what the law says about traveling with cannabis. Complicating matters, the TSA has issued somewhat vague guidelines about what is permissible and what isn’t. And most of the confusion has to do with the status, not of dried flower, but of oils and extracts. Take CBD oil, for example, some types of which are legal everywhere. Can you bring CBD oil on planes? For the most part, yes. And here’s why you might want to.

CBD Oil Can Help Reduce Anxiety Naturally

Flying is stressful. Even if the idea of hurtling through the atmosphere in a steel tube doesn’t make your palms sweaty, the chaos of most airport terminals—the long lines for TSA screenings, the lost luggage, the irate travelers—is enough to fray anyone’s nerves.

As a result, many people have their own substance-related ways of dealing with the anxieties and stress of air travel.

Maybe it’s getting a  buzz on cocktails in an airport bar. Maybe it’s taking a Xanax. Perhaps, it’s getting extraordinarily high on weed edibles.

But high-altitude and low pressure make the effects of these drugs somewhat unpredictable.

Take for example the case of a Delta passenger who claimed in court that eating pot brownies made him freak out and attack flight attendants and passengers.

The point is, sometimes an edibles high can be too much, making an already unpleasant situation—flying—worse.

But cannabis can help reduce anxiety and stress without psychoactivity. Thanks to CBD, a cannabinoid that, unlike THC, won’t get you high.

Research strongly suggests that CBD may help solve anxiety.

In a survey of the extant cannabis-related research, neuroscientist Carl Stevenson (University of Nottingham) says that evidence suggests CBD reduces fear by changing brain activity. When fear evaporates, so does anxiety.

The safe, antipsychotic benefits of CBD can be so beneficial, that some health gurus call it, “liquid Xanax from Mother Nature.”

So if you’re seeking relief from anxiety the next time you fly but are worried about certain side-effects, CBD oil might be the way to go.

But can you bring CBD oil on planes?

Final Hit: Can You Bring CBD Oil on Planes?

Since CBD can provide such safe and effective stress and anxiety relief, many are wondering about bringing it on airplanes.

Fortunately, following these few guidelines will help to keep you on the right side of the law.

Even though recreational cannabis use is legal in some states, the TSA is a federal agency and airports are subject to federal laws. And as we all know, marijuana is still prohibited federally.

That’s why TSA can stop you for attempting to travel with edibles, dried flower or other forms of cannabis that contain THC.

But CBD is somewhat of an exception, especially if it is derived from hemp. That’s because the DEA and the FDA do not consider CBD made from hemp to be the same as psychoactive cannabis. As long as the THC content in the CBD oil is below 0.3 percent, you’re in the clear.

The problem can be that the CBD oil sold in medical dispensaries is often derived from cannabis, not hemp. As such, THC concentrations can be much higher. That, and the source of the CBD oil, would thus technically make it illegal under federal law.

The truth, however, is that CBD oil falls in a legal gray area, which companies that produce and sell it have taken advantage of for years.

It would take a very determined TSA agent to flag your cannabis-derived CBD oil. Of course, that’s not completely outside the realm of possibility.

Ultimately, the safest move is to check your labels. If your CBD oil says it came from “industrial hemp,” or if it keeps quiet about the actual levels of THC in it, you’re very unlikely to have a problem.

And remember, all liquids you carry on board a plane have to be under 3.4 ounces in volume.

So can you bring CBD oil on planes? Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be flying high (but not stoned!) with CBD oil without issue.