Can you fly with cannabis? What the 2026 TSA change means

Since its 27 Apr 2026 update, TSA's Medical Marijuana page lists both carry-on and checked bags as 'Yes (Special Instructions)'. The page's only text says TSA officers do not search for illegal drugs, refer any illegal substance found at screening to a law enforcement officer, and leave the final decision to the TSA officer; it gives no steps for packing medical marijuana.

The page is titled Medical Marijuana. It does not say anything about cannabis bought at an adult-use shop.

It moved two narrow categories to Schedule III, effective 28 Apr 2026: FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, and marijuana in any form covered by a state medical-marijuana license (Federal Register 2026-08176).

The same rule says any form of marijuana other than those two categories remains a Schedule I controlled substance. It also keeps a federal permit requirement on all imports and exports of products containing marijuana.

No. An adult-use purchase in any of the 17 adult-use states this guide covers is not marijuana covered by a state medical-marijuana license, so under the rule's own wording it remains Schedule I (Federal Register 2026-08176).

California's current regulations, revised on 1 Jul 2026, still require the government warning on cannabis products to call cannabis a Schedule I controlled substance (4 CCR 17406(a)(3)).

Visitors can still buy legally on arrival in the adult-use states. In California and New York, adults 21 and older can shop at licensed dispensaries with a valid passport from any country (4 CCR 15404(c)(3); 9 NYCRR 123.10(d)(2)(iii)); the other 15 adult-use states' rules pages list the ID each one accepts. Florida, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Texas have no adult-use market, and the section on those four states below explains who may buy there.

None of them allows it. Fourteen say so on official pages: the regulators in California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, New Mexico, Minnesota and Oklahoma, and the State of Colorado's cannabis site. Nevada's law exempts adults only from Nevada prosecution (NRS 678D.200), and Arizona, Michigan and Missouri give no protection past their borders either. Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas let only their own registered patients buy, so a visitor has no state protection there to begin with. Federal law applies on both sides of every state line, with up to a year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine for a first simple possession offense (21 U.S.C. 844).

New York's regulator calls crossing state lines with cannabis illegal, medical cannabis included, and says that leaving or coming into the state or country with any cannabis product is against the law. NYC's Health Department adds that crossing state or country borders with any cannabis product is illegal, even if you have a prescription for it.

California's regulator lists taking cannabis across state lines among the things you cannot do because cannabis is still illegal under federal law. The state applies the same logic to its own licensees: a delivery driver may not leave the state while carrying cannabis goods (4 CCR 15416(b)).

Airports add rules of their own. The FAA's Compliance Guidance Letter 2022-04, internal guidance for its staff dated 16 Sep 2022, says growing, storing or distributing marijuana is not allowed on federally obligated airport property, whatever state law says; it deals with airport leases and land use, not passengers' bags. Inside the terminal, each state's public-use or smoke-free law applies; Las Vegas and Denver ban marijuana on airport property outright, and PDX bars it past security for travelers leaving Oregon. The next four sections go state by state: three by region for the 17 adult-use states, then one for the four medical-only states.

Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, New Mexico, Minnesota and Oklahoma put it just as plainly. Maryland's Cannabis Administration says no one may carry cannabis over state lines and calls crossing its border in either direction with any cannabis product, medical or adult-use, illegal. Oregon puts it in statute: placing a marijuana item in transportation for hire, such as luggage, the mail or parcel delivery, counts as export, which ORS 475C.229 bars even if the item is stopped before it leaves the state, and OLCC's FAQ calls taking marijuana across state lines a federal offense. Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection, New Mexico's Cannabis Control Division and Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management each describe crossing state lines with cannabis as a federal crime or federally illegal, and Oklahoma's Medical Marijuana Authority forbids its licensed patients to travel with medical marijuana or its products beyond Oklahoma's borders.

California: at LAX, the airport police follow state law and the TSA checkpoint follows federal law. LAX's marijuana policy page, as archived on 12 Aug 2025, says its Airport Police Division officers, who are California peace officers, have no jurisdiction to arrest people who are complying with state law. It also warns that TSA screening stations are under federal jurisdiction and that marijuana laws vary from state to state. DCC's warning about state lines, above, applies to any flight out of California.

Nevada: Las Vegas bans it outright. Clark County Code 20.04.090, which came from Ordinance 4513 of 5 Sep 2017, bars anyone from possessing, using, transporting, selling or displaying marijuana on any county airport or Department of Aviation property. That covers the terminals, parking and roadways at Harry Reid International and the county's airports at North Las Vegas, Henderson Executive, Jean and Overton, and a violation is a misdemeanor, civil fines or both. In Reno, the airport's security page says federal law prohibits transporting recreational marijuana.

Arizona: this guide found no airport-specific ban. The City of Phoenix Aviation Department's published rules for Sky Harbor that this guide could search do not mention marijuana, but airports are among the public places where Prop 207 makes smoking marijuana a petty offense (A.R.S. 36-2850, 36-601.01, 36-2853). Cities may also ban or limit marijuana on property they own or run (A.R.S. 36-2851). Prop 207 protects adults only within Arizona.

Colorado: the City and County of Denver says marijuana is prohibited on Denver International Airport property, and a state page for property owners says DEN bans possessing, using or transferring any cannabis product on airport grounds. The State of Colorado's travel page tells visitors not to bring cannabis to DEN or any other airport, warning that taking any cannabis product out of Colorado breaks the law.

Washington: the Port of Seattle bans smoking, e-cigarettes included, throughout Sea-Tac except in designated smoking areas (SEA Rules and Regulations No. 5), and this guide found no Port page on cannabis or disposal. State law counts public buildings and the waiting rooms of public conveyances as public places, so using cannabis in a terminal is a class 3 civil infraction (RCW 66.04.010, 69.50.445). Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board says it is illegal to take cannabis on a commercial aircraft or to take it out of the state by any means (WSLCB).

Oregon: Portland International has its own rule. The Port of Portland's travel tips say recreational marijuana may not be taken out of Oregon and that PDX Rules ban possessing it beyond the security checkpoints for anyone flying to a point outside the state. TSA may call in Port Police on a report of marijuana at a checkpoint, and Port Police then decide whether the traveler's possession is legal; they will not seize it from someone with a valid Oregon medical card who carries no more than the lawful amount, but the Port warns that the destination state's law applies on arrival.

New Mexico: the Albuquerque International Sunport bans smoking throughout the airport, inside the terminal and its restaurants included, and allows it only in designated areas outside. Those outdoor areas are open to the public, so smoking cannabis there still draws the state's $50 civil penalty for smoking in a public place (NMSA 26-2C-2, 26-2C-26). This guide found no Sunport page on cannabis or disposal, and the Cannabis Control Division tells buyers to keep New Mexico purchases in New Mexico because crossing state lines with cannabis is federally illegal.

Illinois: the state's Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office advises that cannabis should not cross state lines. The Chicago Department of Aviation runs O'Hare and Midway, whose terminals, garages and curbs count as public places under the Act because people there can expect to be seen, so use is barred (410 ILCS 705/10-35). In Chicago, a first public-use offense draws a $50 fine (Chicago Municipal Code 7-24-099). This guide found no page on the airports' own website about cannabis rules or disposal boxes.

Michigan: Detroit Metropolitan Airport, run by the Wayne County Airport Authority, is open to the public at its terminals, curbs and garages, so using cannabis there is consumption in a public place, which the adult-use act does not authorize (MCL 333.27954). DTW's home and safety pages, as archived on 25 Sep and 12 Oct 2026, say nothing about cannabis or disposal. Michigan's protection stops at its borders, and Canada's border agency says taking cannabis across the Canadian border is illegal in either direction (CBSA).

Ohio: the Division of Cannabis Control's FAQ says both federal and Ohio law bar crossing state lines with cannabis, and the state protects only marijuana from a dispensary licensed in Ohio or from a home grow (R.C. 3796.221). Cleveland Hopkins (CLE), which the City of Cleveland owns and operates, and John Glenn Columbus International (CMH), which the Columbus Regional Airport Authority operates, have enclosed terminals open to the public, where no one may consume cannabis in any form (R.C. 3796.04(C)); neither airport's FAQ or security pages mention cannabis. CVG, the main airport for Cincinnati, places itself in Kentucky on its own site, so reaching it from Ohio means crossing the state line.

Minnesota: Minneapolis-St. Paul International bans smoking in every interior space, and its FAQ names cannabis and e-cigarettes along with cigarettes, cigars and pipes; smoking is allowed only in marked areas at least 45 feet from entries, and the Metropolitan Airports Commission makes smoking where signs forbid it a misdemeanor (MAC Ordinance 58). The Office of Cannabis Management goes further, listing airports with courthouses and national parks as federal property where cannabis may not be used or possessed, and its safer-use guide calls carrying cannabis across state lines a federal crime even between two legal states. This guide found no MSP page on cannabis disposal.

Missouri: neither St. Louis Lambert nor Kansas City International, which the Kansas City Aviation Department owns and operates, has a page on cannabis rules or disposal boxes that this guide could find. Smoking marijuana in public can bring a civil penalty of up to $100 under the state constitution, which leaves 'public place' undefined, while the indoor smoking law lists airport waiting areas as public places for tobacco (Article XIV, Section 2.10; RSMo 191.765). Missouri's protection ends at the state line, and the flight itself is governed by federal law, which still lists adult-use marijuana in Schedule I.

New York: OCM's rule against leaving the state with cannabis applies to any flight out of state from JFK or LaGuardia. The state's smoke-free law also bans smoking and vaping in the ticketing, boarding and waiting areas of public transportation terminals (Public Health Law 1399-o(1)(f)), and OCM says cannabis may not be used anywhere tobacco smoking is prohibited. This guide could not find a Port Authority rule on cannabis for JFK, LaGuardia or Newark.

New Jersey: asked whether a purchase can go home to another state, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission answers no, because moving cannabis over state lines is still illegal. Licensed delivery is limited to New Jersey residences (N.J.A.C. 17:30-14.8). Newark Liberty's terminals, AirTrain and parking count as public places under the law, whose definition names public transportation facilities, so no one may smoke or vape cannabis there (N.J.S.A. 24:6I-33, 2C:35-10a). At Atlantic City International, rules readopted by the South Jersey Transportation Authority effective 27 Mar 2026 forbid consuming narcotics or other drugs, as state or federal law classifies them, anywhere on airport property (N.J.A.C. 19:76-1.28).

Massachusetts: the Cannabis Control Commission says taking cannabis out of the state by plane, train, boat, car or any other means is illegal, and so is mailing it, even to a place where it is legal. The smoke-free law bans smoking in any airport, so smoking cannabis at Logan is a civil offense (M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22(b)(2); c. 94G, s. 13(c)). Massport's website did not let this guide read its pages, so no Logan-specific cannabis rule is stated here.

Connecticut: the Connecticut Airport Authority, which runs Bradley International in Windsor Locks, is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the state (Conn. Gen. Stat. 15-120bb). That puts Bradley's buildings under the smoking law, which covers cannabis and reaches 25 feet from the doors, and the vaping law has the same reach (19a-342, 19a-342a). Bradley's FAQ, as archived on 7 Oct 2026, says nothing about cannabis or disposal. The Department of Consumer Protection calls moving cannabis over state lines a federal crime, even when the destination has its own legal medical program, and that warning covers the visiting patients Connecticut has served since 1 Oct 2026.

Maryland: BWI Thurgood Marshall belongs to the Maryland Aviation Administration, which also runs it. BWI's FAQ describes a non-smoking airport whose only smoking spots are the center islands of the outer curbs on the upper and lower roadways, and smoking cannabis there still counts as smoking in a public place, a civil offense that costs up to $50 the first time (Criminal Law 5-601). The FAQ does not mention cannabis, but the Maryland Cannabis Administration warns that taking any cannabis product out of Maryland is against the law, which rules out flying home with it.

Not legally as a visitor, and not with any assurance as a patient. None of the four has an adult-use market. Florida's treatment centers serve only the state's registered patients and caregivers, registered seasonal residents included, and Florida honors no other state's card (s. 381.986; OMMU). Pennsylvania requires state residency and does not accept outside cards (35 P.S. 10231.103, 10231.303), and Texas fills low-THC prescriptions only for permanent residents listed in its Compassionate Use Registry (Occupations Code 169.003). Oklahoma is the exception: a patient whose card was issued by another state's government can apply for OMMA's 30-day out-of-state license, though Texas patients cannot, because Texas issues no state card (63 O.S. 420(F); OMMA).

For patients, the federal change goes only part of the way. The 28 Apr 2026 rule moved marijuana covered by a state medical license to Schedule III, but 21 U.S.C. 844 still makes it a crime to possess a controlled substance that did not come directly from a practitioner or through a valid prescription or order, and no source this guide read settles whether a state certification or registry card meets that test. OMMA answers the travel question outright: its patient rules forbid licensed patients to travel with medical marijuana or its products beyond Oklahoma's borders. Florida's constitution says its medical amendment gives no immunity under federal law (Art. X, s. 29(c)(5)), and no TSA or Texas DPS page this guide read explains how Texas low-THC prescriptions fare under the new rule.

Cannabis brought in from an adult-use state gets no protection from having been bought legally there. Texas makes 2 oz or less of marijuana a Class B misdemeanor, with as much as 180 days in jail, a fine as high as $2,000, or both, and treats a marijuana-derived THC vape, wax or edible weighing under 1 g in all as a state jail felony (Health and Safety Code 481.116, 481.121; Penal Code 12.22, 12.35). Florida charges possession of up to 20 g of plant cannabis as a first-degree misdemeanor; above 20 g, or for any product made from resin, which takes in concentrates, most vape oil and extract-infused edibles, the charge is a third-degree felony (s. 893.02(3), 893.13(6)).

Pennsylvania counts 30 g of marijuana or less as a misdemeanor, with a maximum of 30 days in jail, a fine as high as $500, or both (35 P.S. 780-113). In Oklahoma, anyone holding marijuana without an OMMA license faces a misdemeanor with up to a year of confinement and a maximum $1,000 fine (63 O.S. 2-402), though a person who can state a medical condition and holds 1.5 oz or less faces only a fine of up to $400, with no jail (63 O.S. 420(B)).

The Miami and Orlando airport pages this guide read cover smoking but do not mention cannabis. At Miami International, which the Miami-Dade Aviation Department runs, smoking is limited to designated curbside areas across the street from the terminal, and county airport rules let only licensed practitioners give or administer a controlled substance to another person there (Code of Miami-Dade County 25-2.12). Orlando International, under the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, has been a non-smoking facility since 1 Jul 2003, with tobacco, e-cigarettes and vaping banned in every airport building. Florida law bars even registered patients from using medical marijuana in public places, except low-THC cannabis that is not smoked, and this guide reads that ban as covering terminals open to the public (s. 381.986(1)(k)5.b). This guide gives no airport-specific rule for Tampa International or Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood; state law applies there as anywhere in Florida.

Philadelphia International, which the City of Philadelphia owns and operates, and Pittsburgh International, run by the Allegheny County Airport Authority, publish no cannabis policy that this guide could find, and for a visitor without a Pennsylvania card, cannabis in either terminal is plain possession (35 P.S. 780-113). Oklahoma City's Will Rogers and Tulsa International have enclosed terminals where smoking or vaping marijuana is banned, and state law also lets commercial airport operators ban lighted marijuana and vaping within 175 feet of an airport entrance (63 O.S. 1-1522, 1-1523). In Texas, possession law applies in the terminals at Bush Intercontinental, Hobby, DFW, Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom as anywhere else in the state (Health and Safety Code 481.121), and the security pages of DFW, Bush Intercontinental and Austin-Bergstrom, which the City of Austin owns and operates, say nothing about cannabis.

Leave cannabis behind. The April 2026 federal rule keeps a permit requirement on all imports and exports of products containing marijuana, and CBP warns that arriving at a U.S. port of entry with marijuana may result in seizure, fines or arrest and may affect admissibility (CBP page last modified 23 Aug 2023).

Royal Caribbean's conduct policy prohibits marijuana on its ships, even in its medicinal form, and its onboard rules apply regardless of medical authorization or local legality. For six other major lines, see our cruise guide, which quotes each one's own contract or prohibited-items list.

Florida's cruise ports do not change that for patients. Florida law keeps medical marijuana use out of public places, except for low-THC cannabis that is not smoked (s. 381.986(1)(k)5.b), and on this guide's reading those places include the cruise terminals at PortMiami and Port Canaveral. On the trip home, CBP reminds travelers that a medication counted as a controlled substance has to satisfy DEA requirements too.

Not yet. A DEA hearing on moving marijuana to Schedule III (Federal Register 2026-08177) took place from 29 Jun to 15 Jul 2026. On 29 Sep 2026, DEA's Chief Administrative Law Judge stayed the case pending a motion to add a September 2026 GAO report to the record.

As of 16 Oct 2026, a search of DEA documents in the Federal Register found no final rule on that broader change. Until one is published and takes effect, adult-use cannabis remains Schedule I.

Fly empty and buy on arrival. All 17 adult-use states this guide covers let adults 21 and older buy at licensed shops with valid ID, and none limits adult-use sales to its own residents; each state's rules page lists the ID it accepts. California, for example, caps adult-use sales at 28.5 g of non-concentrated cannabis and 8 g of concentrate per customer per day (4 CCR 15409).

Use it where it is allowed during your stay and do not pack leftovers for the trip home. The first dispensary visit guide covers the ID check, and the tourist rules guide covers hotels and public use.

In Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas a visitor cannot buy at all, and in Oklahoma only with OMMA's 30-day out-of-state license, which requires a medical card issued by the visitor's home state government (63 O.S. 420(F); OMMA). Plan to arrive in those states without cannabis and to leave without it.