Overview
- The TSA quietly updated its 'What Can I Bring?' web tool on April 27 to say medical marijuana is allowed in both carry-on and checked baggage, subject to unspecified "special instructions."
- The website change follows the Justice Department’s April 23 order that reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana under a looser federal schedule, a move agencies cite as the basis for the guidance shift.
- TSA reiterates that its officers focus on security, do not search for drugs, and will refer suspected illegal substances to law enforcement, with the on-duty officer retaining final discretion at checkpoints.
- Frontline TSA staff and union leaders report they were not briefed and the promised "special instructions" have not been issued, creating uneven on-the-ground practices and uncertainty for travelers.
- Travel risks remain: small personal amounts are rarely prosecuted at U.S. airports but large quantities prompt trafficking charges, and carrying any cannabis internationally still carries serious legal danger.