With CBD becoming more and more accepted among the medical industry, it’s easier than ever to enjoy this plant-based compound’s multitude of health benefits. Because it’s become so popular and accessible, many people enjoy bringing CBD products with them when they travel.
However, just because CBD that comes from hemp is legal doesn’t mean that there aren’t some potential hurdles involved should you wish to travel with it.
Fortunately for you, we’ve created a guide so that you can bring CBD with you easily wherever you go.
Benefits of Traveling with CBD
There are many reasons to take CBD with you when you’re traveling. As we all know, traveling can be incredibly stressful. Between the chaos of airports, long flights, lack of sleep and a change in routine, there are many ways in which CBD can come in handy while a person is away from home.
CBD is known to lower cortisol levels thanks to its unique ability to balance the secretion of hormones. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, secreted in high numbers when a person perceives a threat. Once cortisol is released, the person experiences a stimulated nervous system, causing their heart rate to increase as well as their rate of breath.
While traveling, it’s not uncommon to experience anxiety. CBD can help tremendously by lowering stress levels, helping a person feel calm, cool and collected.
CBD can also come in handy during those long flights. Because of CBD’s ability to act as a sleep aid, you can take a small amount and enjoy some restful shuteye until you get to your destination.
CBD is also taken daily by many people to treat specific ailments. CBD’s pain-relieving properties make it a very useful product that many depend on in order to get through the day.
There are other conditions that CBD can treat as well including epilepsy, inflammatory diseases and certain mood disorders.
Therefore, some people may insist on traveling with CBD because it’s the only thing that provides them with relief from their symptoms.
Plus, CBD is a multi-tasking natural medicine. It can treat everything from skin inflammation to digestive troubles. It’s much easier to travel with one container of CBD than a wide range of medicines that each address different health-related issues.
Legality of CBD in the United States
While marijuana is still illegal under federal law, hemp is not. Both marijuana and hemp belong to the cannabis family, but hemp does not contain the high levels of THC that makes marijuana a psychoactive drug. In fact, hemp contains only 0.3 percent THC at most.
Because hemp does not have psychoactive activity, CBD that is made from the hemp plant is legal. Most commercial CBD manufacturers use hemp instead of marijuana in order to make their products legally accessible across the country.
Therefore, it’s absolutely legal to purchase, consume, sell and possess CBD throughout the United States.
In other words, if you’re traveling to another state, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re at risk of facing legal repercussions for consuming or possessing a CBD product that’s made from hemp.
How to Take CBD with You on a Domestic Flight
These tips will help you better travel with your CBD:
TSA’s Rules About Cannabis
According to TSA guidelines that were updated in May 2019, “Products/medications that contain hemp-derived CBD or are approved by the FDA are legal as long as it is produced within the regulations defined by the law under the Agriculture Improvement Act 2018”.
And according to TSA.gov, you can pack your hemp derived CBD products in your carry on bag or checked baggage.
That means that as long as you’re flying with 2018 Farm Bill approved hemp derived CBD products (>0.3% THC), you will be safe to travel with them.
However, flying with marijuana or marijuana infused products, is still illegal.
So if you buy hemp derived CBD products from a reputable company such as Wellicy, you won’t have any problems with TSA!
TSA’s Priorities
Even though all cannabis products are prohibited under TSA guidelines, you don’t have to panic. Ultimately, the TSA goes through such great security lengths in order to search for weapons and other items that can put others at risk of harm. Believe or not, the TSA really isn’t looking for illegal drugs while they search through your bags.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the TSA doesn’t have every right to confiscate any substances that they deem illegal. It also doesn’t mean that they don’t have the authority to call law enforcement should they find an illicit substance.
However, the chances of the TSA confiscating your CBD are very low, simply because they’re not really trained to care about it that much. Most TSA agents know that CBD is ultimately harmless, making it more likely that they’ll let you slide.
Properly Storing Your CBD to Get Through Security
If you’re going to bring CBD with you on a flight, you can safely bring it in a carry-on or checked bag.
And, of course, it’s important to follow the TSA’s guidelines when packing your CBD.
For instance, they have strict rules about how liquids can and cannot be stored. Failing to follow these guidelines can result in your CBD getting confiscated on principle.
It’s also suggested that if you’re using a CBD cartridge with a vaporizer, you remove the cartridge so that it’s not attached to your vaporizer while you go through security.
Some TSA agents want to see these two items separated in order to be sure that you don’t plan on vaping on your flight.
Also, we definitely recommend that you only pack as much CBD as you need.
If you can, find a CBD distributor that’s in the area that you’re traveling to.
This way, you only need to pack enough CBD to get you through the flight.
Additional Tips
Keep in mind that a large part of getting through airport security unscathed has to do with your ability to follow their general rules.
- Be polite to the TSA agents and follow all of their rules in order to avoid raising any red flags.
- You cannot vape a CBD product in an airport or on a plane. Doing so can cause serious legal repercussions.
- If you take CBD that’s prescribed by your doctor, bring any documentation with you in order to prove that you need it for medical reasons. This way, if they do decide to confiscate your CBD, you can show them that you do in fact require it.
- It’s wise to travel with documentation from the CBD manufacturer that proves it has less than 0.3 percent THC. This way, you can prove to the TSA agent that you’re not traveling with a mind-altering substance.
- Lastly, remember that we’re only talking about traveling with CBD on domestic flights. On international flights, it’s crucial that you check the CBD laws in the country that you’re flying to. In many countries around the world, CBD is illegal and possession of it can put you at risk of serious legal consequences.
How to Store Your CBD Safely
Whether you’re flying, driving or taking a bus across the country, storing your CBD properly is crucial.
- Because travel bags get tossed around a good deal, it’s very important that you store all of your CBD products in a way that minimizes the risk of damage.
- If you can, transfer any CBD oils or tinctures out of glass bottles and into plastic ones. This will prevent any glass from shattering during particularly rough stages of the traveling process.
- Make sure that if you’re only traveling with a portion of your CBD products, you label each one clearly.
Remember These Rules for Traveling with Your CBD Products
While CBD is legal in the United States and these products are allowed by TSA, there are still some precautions you must take in order to travel with it safely.
