It\u2019s OK to pack medical marijuana when heading to the airport in California, but whether those products will still be with you when you land remains somewhat of an open question, experts say.<\/p>\n
At the end of April, the Transportation Security Administration quietly updated its \u201cWhat Can I Bring?\u201d<\/a> web page to reiterate that medical marijuana is fine to bring aboard a flight in a carry-on or pack into a checked bag \u2014 with special instructions.<\/p>\n The Times reached out to TSA for clarity on what those special instructions are, but officials did not provide an explanation. <\/p>\n In any case, there\u2019s a pretty major asterisk. The agency<\/a> notes that \u201cthe final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.\u201d And a patchwork of state laws regulating marijuana means not all airports will treat the products the same. <\/p>\n The TSA said its policy on medical marijuana has not changed, but the website update occurred after the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration announced they would issue an order<\/a> to place FDA-approved drugs containing cannabis derivatives and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in the Schedule lll category of the Controlled Substances Act.<\/a> <\/p>\n That means the products are considered to have moderate-to-low potential for physical and psychological dependence.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time, qualifying medical marijuana activity is recognized within a federal Schedule III structure rather than being treated uniformly as Schedule I contraband,\u201d said Meital Manzuri, managing partner with Manzuri Law, which specializes in cannabis and hemp law. <\/p>\n Under this categorization, there is now a legal basis for medical patients to travel with qualifying medical marijuana products consistent with the rule, Manzuri said. <\/p>\n Was I ever allowed to have marijuana on a flight?<\/p>\n In practice, TSA largely stopped actively policing personal-use marijuana years ago, particularly in states like California where the drug is legal, according to Manzuri. <\/p>\n \u201cTSA exists for security purposes and they\u2019re explicit about that,\u201d said Vincent Joralemon, director of UC Berkeley\u2019s Life Sciences Law and Policy Center. <\/p>\n At a TSA checkpoint, officers aren\u2019t necessarily looking for marijuana, but a person or baggage could be flagged for additional inspection and the drug could be found then, Joralemon said.<\/p>\n A more humorous example of this, he said, is a 2015 Instagram photo from TSA<\/a> of an open jar of peanut butter. Next to it was marijuana wrapped in cellophane stained with peanut butter \u2014 items that were confiscated at San Jos\u00e9 Mineta International Airport. <\/p>\n Some airports were more relaxed when it came to allowing marijuana on planes. <\/p>\n