As of 2024, local laws in most US states are geared towards medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, so of course people want to know if you can legally bring weed or edibles on an airplane or even sneak it on a plane without a medical card.
The simplified answer?
Technically, yes, per the Transportation Security Agency Government website, just put it in your carry-on bag with your medical card. That’s it, and you don’t have to get creative or be sneaky.
Be sure to use a smell proof bag like this one on eBay.
We are NOT suggesting you attempt to work your way around or break any local or federal laws. This information provided is based on the TSA.gov official ruling on flying with edibles or weed in checked bags or carry-on luggage. Legally, you must personally check with your local or federal laws.
You do not want to put it in your checked bag because they do random searches with checked luggage. You need a carry-on like this one.
Can I Put Weed or Edibles In Checked Bag?
No, both marijuana and edibles should go in your carry-on bag or backpack
Again, the same rules apply. Neither edibles or actual marijuana flower should be placed in a checked bag, checked luggage or suitcase because the TSA does do random searches. They are fine in your carry-on luggage. Edibles don’t even smell so you have nothing to worry about. Edibles are organic materials and snacks.
Marijuana however does smell and it must also go in your carry-on bag. Because of this it is best to use a smell-proof travel bag such as the many options we present below. They are Airport Security approved smell-proof bags. You just throw it in with your clothes, socks, underwear, and miscellaneous luggage. You can see from the airport security scanner image that edibles and flower won’t show up in the X-ray machine because they are organic material.
Very nice smell-proof bags for air travel available on eBay
Large Gray Smell Proof Bag with Zipper and Roll Seal Top
Small Smell Proof Bag
Large Gray Smell Proof Bag with Travel Lock
Can you legally bring weed/edibles on a plane?
Now that you know you can easily put anything in your carry on back or backpack, what about the legality of it?
Legally, the TSA does not enforce federal laws or search for drugs. They do allow you to bring certain medical marijuana products on the plane. However, they do not search for any drugs or enforce local or federal laws for any type of marijuana. They can only call your local police department, where it may be legal. As for edibles, they won’t even know what they are looking at if they see them but the same rules apply. You must keep in mind that a pot brownie, aka edible in checked bags, looks just like a regular brownie, and this is not of their concern.Below is a screenshot taken directly from the offcial TSA site stating their regulations.
Source: TSA
They say, “The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.”
Getting Past The TSA Security Checkpoint
Buy Smell Proof Bag
How you can you get past the TSA?
Airport Security can be a scary barrier to penetrate, but it’s extremely easy to just put weed in your carry-on bag with your medical card. Yes, that’s right, simply put it in your bag and forget about it. But it must be in your carry on, do not put it in your normal checked-in luggage or suitcase under the plane in the cargo bay. The TSA does randomly search checked luggage before loading it onto the flight. Also, no plastic bottles.
But keep in mind you don’t have to worry at all. The TSA openly states they are not even searching for marijuana and don’t care. This is not their mission.
Legal Note: I am not promoting illegal drug smuggling by any means. I assume you have a medical card, making marijuana legal for you, or living in a state where recreational marijuana is legal, such as California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado or any of the many states listed as legal below. This article is for information or for educational purposes. Most airline companies have rules regarding marijuana despite your local state or federal laws. However, TSA Agents do not enforce individual airline rules and airlines.
Will TSA Security arrest me if I am caught with weed?
No, TSA agents do not arrest anyone. They would have to call your local police department to take action. But keep in mind, Federal laws still do not allow you to travel to other states with recreational or medical marijuana, your state and local TSA may not care at all.Getting Past Airport X-Ray Scanner
As for the Airport X-Ray Scanners? Marijuana and edibles are both organic materials and are not going to raise any eyebrows as a weapon would. They will look like anything else, such as socks, ramen noodles, a random food gift, etc.Marijuana and edibles show up as an organic orange color in the scanner and is mostly invisible unless you try to hide it in something non-organic. Blue would be synthetics like plastic, and black metals, and green is more like thin plastics. Either way, most of the scan is orange, all organic materials. Notice you can’t see any clothes, socks, pants or shirts? It’s all orange. Because marijuana and edibles are organic, they appear orange and therefore invisible. Don’t go hiding it in a metal or plastic tube. Use something smell-proof as we suggested above and you are done. It really is that simple.
Flying with marijuana, edibles, gummies, hash oils, dab wax, hash, and vape cartridges, is all the same. You can also fly with vaporizers in your carry-on bag. You can also fly with edibles in your bags, which may be the easiest. It is all organic material.
What are the consequence of getting caught?
If you are a legal Medical Card carrier, or in a recreational state, TSA will not do anything. At worst they could throw it away but even this is not their job duty and it is not something they are looking for or care about. If you are not following local law, you could get a ticket and a court date in that city for possession of marijuana. This can depend on your state though. There are still states that will jail you for carrying marijuana. Keep in mind we’re talking about medical states and legal states and following your local laws.
In a medical state, it has been said if you are caught without a card, they will take the weed, give you a ticket and let you catch your flight with no jail time. So far, all reports I have seen state that they will not make you miss your flight over a little pot, card, or not. Especially in a place like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and now California. All states where marijuana is legal by state law for recreational use. States like California’s airports such as Oakland International Airport, San Francisco International, Los Angeles International Airport.
How The TSA Handles Marijuana
If the TSA officer at your airport finds weed in your suitcase, they will not be able to do anything. They hold no power. They can choose to report you to the local authorities. That being said, they follow state laws, not federal laws. So like in California they would verify your card here. CA State Verification.
Do checked luggage bags get searched for drugs?
Yes, checked bags undergo random searches, which is why you want to put anything in your carry-on.
One extremely important thing to remember is never to put a vape pen in your checked bag. They have batteries that can not go in the airplane compartment due to possible explosion/fire hazards. This is why so many electronics must only be shipped via Ground Mail. To avoid the underbelly of a plane.
The TSA states they are not even searching for marijuana and don’t care. Even if they do accidentally find it, there is a chance they will not even alert local police officers in the current airport. It is a lot of work, and they know it will result in nothing or a small ticket. They do not “search” for it, I think, mainly because it shows up is an organic orange color in the scanner and is mostly invisible unless you try to hide it in something non-organic. Blue would be synthetics like plastic, and black metals, and green is more like thin plastics. Either way, most of the scan is orange, all organic materials. Notice you can’t see any clothes, socks, pants or shirts? It’s all orange. Because marijuana and edibles are organic, they appear orange and therefore invisible. Don’t go hiding it in a metal or plastic tube. Use something smell-proof, but if you see a drug-sniffing dog at the airport, they are trained in one thing only, explosives. Not your tiny amount of medical weed. If it is an international airport, they may be trained for cocaine as well.
Don’t Trigger A Search!
No liquids! These raise suspicion so just don’t. No open jars/bottles of shampoos. You can bring your toiletries but use the TSA rules, put them in a separate clear bag, remove it from your carry on bag and put it in the bin so it does not trigger a search of your bag, or just put them in your checked baggage that goes under the plane. No laptops in your bag(this will get your bag opened up right there). They will remind you but take your laptop out and set it to the side of your bag or under it. However, they do not require you to take out your tablet so you could leave that in as a clutter distraction. I did forget to take my laptop out of my bag and the TSA officers made me go back through the scanner only to find nothing.
Flying With Edibles / Marijuana Food
Here, we are on a whole new level. The same rules apply when trying to sneak a pot cookie, brownie, gummy bears, or any THC concentrates on a plane. This is even easier because it is just food, a snack, that’s that. It will not show up, just like when you took normal non-weed food on a flight last time. The only difference is it now has marijuana in the brownie. They can’t tell. But some people need reassurance that you can fly with edibles such as pot brownies or gummy bears. In this case, it is even easier. It looks like food people! Just put it in your carry-on bag, once in your assigned seat, pull it out and eat it! In front of them! Joking, do not break any laws, but no one can tell you if a cookie, brownie, gummy bear, or chocolate bar is laced with marijuana or not. Do not be paranoid. It may help if you have normal packaging and not some crazy weed leaves and medical wording. As for dabs, wrap them up, stuff them in a sock. Hash? Same thing. Treat it like normal flower buds. Read the above article and the comments below for people’s experiences flying with weed and sneaking edibles in an airport.
Flying With Vape Pens / Vaporizers / Hash Oil Pens
If you plan on flying with a vaporizer, you must put it in your carry-on luggage. The TSA does not allow you to put the vape pen batteries in your checked luggage below the plane. There are too many poorly manufactured tank systems with low-quality batteries that could catch fire on the plane. So, bring it all with you in your luggage like normal.
Source: TSA
Marijuana Legal In Several States
Of course now it’s completely legal in several US States and you don’t even have to worry about concealing it. But you still can / should because why go through the trouble?
Cannabis Legal States
- Colorado since 2012
- Washington since 2012
- Alaska since 2012
- District of Columbia since 2014
- Oregon since 2014
- California since 2016
- Nevada since 2016
- Main since 2016
- Massachusetts since 2016
- Michigan since 2018
- Vermont since 2018
- Illinois since 2019
- Arizona since 2020
- Montana since 2020
- New Jersey since 2020
- Connecticut since 2021
- New Mexico since 2021
- New York since 2021
- Virginia since 2021
- Maryland since 2022
- Missouri since 2022
- Rhode Island since 2022
- Delaware since 2023
- Minnesota since 2023
- Ohio since 2023
Medically Legal States
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Utah
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
Decriminalized States
Source
So as you can see, flying with weed just about anywhere is no big risk anyway.
Landing In Another Airport With Weed?
Remember, just because you got on the flight at OAK, SFO or LAX does not mean the airport you landed in(or state) allows for medical marijuana so be very careful not to break the law. Luckily I have not heard anything about people getting searched on the way out of an airport so you should be fine.
Note: We highly suggest you follow your local laws, federal laws and rules of the airline you booked with. I am not claiming to be a final verdict or a set of laws regarding this topic and hold no legal responsibilities for your actions. This is just the information that I myself have come to conclusion with based on a lot of research including fieldwork studies put with online information.
Please comment below if you have more to add to the topic or your own personal experience with Airport Security. Specifically, if you have flown with weed on an International Flight from say Canada, United Kingdom, Asia, China or anywhere overseas.
Do not comment asking if you can sneak weed on an airplane one way or another. Read the article and comments for that answer.
colin woods says
hey, I’m flying from ATL to Puerto Rico. I wanna bring a little bit of weed, not much just like 3-5gs to smoke on my vacation. what would be the best way for me to sneak it there?
MimiTheMedic says
Hi! I am currently in Las Vegas flying into ATL tomorrow, would a mint container of joints or a plastic bag of joints be okay to fly with?
Bryce says
I always fly domestic with oil, vapes, edibles and occasionally flower. Never been stopped in PDX, Sea tac, Lax, Phx, Dia, ORD and a few more legal state airports. Yes I’ve landed in MANY “questionable” states and never had a problem. Carry on always but I have checked a 1/4 to a legal state before. Hope this helps! Keep it low key and simple.
Bryce says
Also Vegas more times than I can count 😂
Tbh Tsa isn’t the concern it’s the where you land/layover is where you need to pay attention.
Jon says
Bingo! I’m in a similar boat. I’ve flown for years out of MANY legal states to many ‘questionable’ states as well. Always carry on.
Just avoid connecting through Texas and all is well.
Hillary says
Can I have gummies on my carry-on bag in a tumbler?
Rolo says
Flying from Detroit to Jamaica. Just throw the disposable vape pen in my carry on and I should be fine?
Bri Bri says
Hi everyone 👋🏾
I’m traveling to Vegas, it will be my first time flying! As such, I’m not familiar with airports, TSA, etc. I was hoping to possibly bring back some flower and/or edibles from my trip. I’ve purchased smell proof bags already, but outside of that and just acting normal when going thru security, are there any other tips/suggestions? I was thinking of just sitting the bags in my underwear 😆 but I don’t know if they do bodily x-rays or whatever. This is all very new for me…Are there any ladies here who’ve done that before?
tommy says
I’m flying from Pensacola fl to Orlando Florida and I need help getting weed on the plane.
Linda Taylor says
I’m flying to France. I only need one cartridge. I do have a medical prescription card.
How do I handle that?
Shamen says
Planning to visit Sri Lanka has anyone tried to sneak weed into Sri Lanka?
John says
Best way to get a cartridge on an airplane?
MaryJane Traveler says
I have routinely flown all over the US with weed in my checked bag. Triple bagged in breast milk storage bags then placed in my coffee container. I have travel airtight ziplock bags for clean and dirty clothes as well as toiletries. My other airtight bag carries my coffee, coffee filters, and other food. Even if they do random checks they will never find it unless they choose to open my duct-taped coffee container full of coffee. Always works, always makes it through, never checked, and I’ve had plenty of “random inspection” tickets inside my suitcase. No biggie.
Devan says
Advice on mailing it?
robin says
As a government agency, the USPS cannot open packages without court order. Other modes can.
Sheila says
I can confirm this to be valid as I have had several packages delivered through USPS.
Bri says
I’m flying to Cali from Chicago in a week. Can I take my THCc cartridge and battery with me on the flight?
K says
Yes, but you have to say it’s e-cig juice.
Stephanie says
I’m going to Barbados for six weeks. I always fly with weed all over USA but I never tried out of the United States before! Any advice? We are mailing some edible food items and toiletries ahead in a box. I’m really just concerned about customs when arriving?
Tj says
Don’t. If you get pinched in Barbados it can be headache and you may well get deported and excluded for period of time. I know that sounds stupid but it can happen.
Rue says
Hello, I’m flying from Reno where it’s legal to New Orleans and my boyfriend wants to bring enough to smoke and possibly sell(since it’s illegal there and that’s how most people in my home town gets weed) and we’re trying to fly. So do we just buy a vacuum-sealed bag online and put it at the bottom with all his clothes on top of it?
Lucky Aquarius says
I want to take a flight to LA and mail a portion of my THC back to TN and also have some to take on my carry on. I was thinking about stuffing some in my hoodie that’s going to be in my carry on. Maybe like 10oz. I can make them small with the vacuum seal bags. What do you guys think? Any tips? Also, I’m buying when I get there.
eric thomas says
I’m flying out to Turkey from Toronto Canada and my question is what if I get my gummy edibles and mix them with my normal gummies? I can bring other normal food snacks along with it to help disguise them. Will this work?
VD says
Going on honeymoon to Mexico in 2 weeks. Flying into Cancun. Looking to bring vape carts in my makeup bag, checked, pen in carry on and edibles vacuum sealed in checked and carry on. Good idea? Anyone brought anything into Cancun airport? First time flying internationally, so scared of customs and their response button of doom. Any advice is appreciated.
kristina says
I brought two vape pens with me. No problem. But don’t bring it back. Security is strict when leaving another country.
tandi says
I’m doing the same thing. I’m just putting it in my purse in two pieces and then forgetting about it.
Tony says
I am traveling from Kansas City to Liberia Costa Rica. I want to bring my weed pen but not sure if I’ll be able to get through the airports with it. If the bringing the pen isn’t safe what is the best way to bring edibles?
Jennifer Scheel says
Hi guys! Flying to Dominican republic in March and plan to bring some gummy edibles with me and maybe a vape pen. Although I feel the gummy edibles are easier so I could just do that. Any advice? I fly domestically with edibles and vape pen all the time. I’m not sure how they would know the edibles have weed in them.
Mike says
believe it or not the Dominican Republic has really strict laws on leaving the country with vape pens. They are usually not allowed in carry on or checked luggage, if they find it the will throw it out.
Thomas says
I am a regular traveler and weed smoker. I have traveled multiple times through several different airports and always put the weed in my checked bag. There have been a few times when the bag was checked by TSA and nothing was taken. Just saying.
Ed says
Can I put gummies in my checked luggage.
Johmn says
Hello, I am going to Las Vegas with my family this Christmas! I’m actually a medical patient in Florida but I’m only 20, however. I was thinking of bringing disposable distillate wax pens. About 4. So the pens usually come inside a plastic cylinder case. Should I leave the pens inside the plastic casing or separate them?? The pens most likely has metal and plastic as well. Thank you… any help is appreciated!
Canada Guy says
I flew into Egypt last week with a 300g CBD and 300 TCH chocolate bars in my carryon. I took off packaging and blended wrappers in with my other candies. I don’t drink, so this helped the long flights. Still had about half going into customs, no problem.
But in my checked luggage I took a tincture, that I poured into a vitamin D dropper bottle. I believe a tincture is the most economical, safest, discreet method of traveling with THC there is. I toured temples and the pyramids with the dropper on my at all times. I’d take drops orally or mix into water.
That’s my take on the topic!
Phoenix says
So what’s better. Just putting weed in a sock and balling it up. Or put it in a ziplock in a lock and call it up. The zip lock is plastic won’t it show? Or is it best to put it in a ziplock and a subway sandwich? I’m leaving out of Oakland to Vegas.
OaklandMofo says
I’m from Oakland but live in Vegas.
Weed is legal here.
Just buy when you land.
Or, do as everyone else did. It’s Oakland lol.
NeckProblem says
I am flying from Washington State to Indiana with 2 layovers and I want to take back lotion with THC. How might I do this? I have a License Career and I will loose my License if caught but the pain in my neck from my career is debilitating. I have two Herniated disc and bulging disc in my neck. I have a pain management doctor but I’m tired taking pain medicine. Please help
JJ says
I am flying from Arizona to North Dakota, both states are medical only. I have my medical card. I need to take my CBD/THC along. Any suggestions on how to pack these bottles?
Tee says
I’m flying from Seattle to NY and want to bring my vape pen and weed cartridges. What’s the best way?
Kim says
Hey, Kim here from Los Angeles. Recently flew to North Carolina. I separated the battery and the cartridge, it worked just fine. I put the cart in my makeup bag and the battery as well, you’re good!!! Just make sure they’re separated and not together.
Vacation shoes says
I live in California now. I plan to go on a plane ride back to Tennessee. You think I can make it there if I bring 1/4 and seal it put it in a shoe? I also wanna bring a pack of edibles. Is that too much?
Don says
I’ll be going through SFO to Puerto Vallarta Mexico and want to bring a few edibles with me.
I’ve read the article carefully along with the comments and am not so worried about having edibles in my carry on and getting through SFO but am more worried about arriving in PV with them.
I just haven’t been in PV in a while and don’t know what their security game currently is upon arrival. Do carry-ons go through security check on arrival and would they bother with edibles?
Thanks!
Ron says
They have dogs at PVR. I almost got busted myself. Dog hit on wrong suitcase and the handler pulled him off. Whew! I got some good dank into Mexico but I will never try it again.
Ray Larson says
I once flew with six “marijuana wax cartridges” and a pen. My trip was long – Arizona -New York – Israel, put them in a empty watch box. Needless to say try was fun!
Thanks TSA
Jordan says
What about the new TSA rule that requires you to put any “food or snacks” in their own bin for xray scanning???? I’d be nervous to put edibles out on display.
Anonymous says
Put edibles in the bin like normal… nothing happened… also had marijuana carts and Vape pen in my purse… nothing happened!
AkuscheCheif says
Flying to Miami in a few weeks. I wanted to bring edibles and a few buds; no more than an eighth. Few scenarios. I like the Subway sandwich method. I like the sock method, my only question is, what color does the sock show to be? Thirdly, I was thinking about getting a share sized(King size) pack of peanut M & M’s dumping them out and putting some buds in the bag then put the candies back on top. Would that be plausible???
The Dude says
Went through SEATAC a couple weeks ago with 1 oz of bud and some mints. Flew from SEA to MSP via SFO. Just put them in my carry on… it was a breeze. I could smell it a bit if I was close to the bag, so might need to package a bit more securely next time, but I LOVE that I can now get bud back home!
Ellie says
I flew from Seattle to Sioux Falls South Dakota when weed was not legal yet in Washington, I placed the marijuana 2grams Give/Take in a cigarette package sealed with flame and placed it in between my hair straightener wand and simply squeezed it to flatten a little and wrapped the cord around and usual and stuck it in my CHECKED bag. I had no issues.
Bob says
Pill bottle works.
Chigga says
I am planning to go to Thailand this unmet and I want to sneak a cartilage of wax and a vape pen what are your suggestions should I take the risk and do this?
Ronald W Dunaway says
NEVER EVER EVER Try and sneak drugs into Thailand.
Depending on the amount. It can possibly be the death penalty.
Weed is very easy to obtain in The Land of Smiles….For a helluva lot less than most other places. Just ask a Motorcycle Taxi guy…
Trust me IT’S NOT WORTH IT…
T. says
I just went to Thailand and took some vape pens no problem. I even took a small amount of tree and edibles
Cheryl says
If I’m just wanting to take edibles and the oils to Texas from Oakland. Should I take the chance. How should I do it.
SMOKATRON says
There’s a million pot shops in Oakland just get some here.
RJ says
My edible chocolates do not behave well at room temperature or higher. Any ideas on how to keep them cool on a 9 hour flight in my carry on?
Mark says
I read many comments actually about sneaking some weed.
I am going to Sweden – from Michigan, and I’ve got a medical marijuana card.
I liked the cartridges so much and just wanna sneak some to Sweden.
Please I need tips how to pack them and where to put them.
And tips how to mail it safely.
I appreciate your help! Great site!!!
J. says
Mailed edibles to France via USPS in carbon fiber plastic type bags. No problem.
Sadhu says
What if I put it in a plastic bottle that carries herbs? Like echinacea and slippery elm with other bottles containing herbs? I’ve never gotten searched for flying with my herbs. Never flew with ganja, flying out of LAX.
Girl just wants to vape says
I’m flying international through Beijing to India. I want to take a disposable thc oil vape and because it’s disposable there’s no separate battery cartridge. Anyone know anything about that? I was feeling confident putting that in my checked in bag but the more I read up on it, I keep getting mixed feelings on it. Help!
Friend says
I would be far more careful flying internationally. The consequences can be very severe in some countries even for a small amount. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
K says
To be clear, no one has had any issues with metal vape pen cartridges in their carry on/makeup bag?
I’m thinking this is my best way to go, as there are other small metal objects in the makeup bag which may help a cartridge blend in. (?)
I’m thinking of also bringing a flower bud or two in a vitamin bottle. Really hoping this works out so I can physically get through my upcoming trip! Reading this article has brought me much reassurance. I guess I just need a little more :)
Jamie says
You’ll be just fine putting them in your carry-on makeup bag. I’ve flown to Austin, Maui, and Honolulu all via PDX with 1-2 vape cartridges (checked one also) as well as edibles in my checked bag and have had no issues! I will be flying internationally to Japan and throughout Thailand in a couple of weeks and am nervous since they don’t use TSA…
transplant says
I’m flying from Reno,NV to Kona, HI. Will I be fine getting off the plane in Kona? I’m thinking of putting 2 in separate little makeup bags in my carry-on (separate from the battery) and one in my checked luggage. Do I need to worry this much?
canadianstoner says
Flying from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale, thinking of bringing an 8th stuffed in a sock but wondering if it would be a better idea to put it in a pill bottle? Also is the reason it won’t show up in a sock because the sock shows up as organic material?
Yeah right says
The only thing that shows up non organic are plastics, liquids and metals. Buy smell proof bags or vacuum seal and just roll into your socks. Will all show up orange.
val says
Wouldn’t a vacuum seal or a smell proof bag come up as a plastic, though? I mean they are plastic bags.
Lucky Aquarius says
That’s what I’m thinking, wouldn’t vacuum seal bags show up orange?
AReal1 says
So I moved temporarily to SC from LA and my friend wants to try that Cali Kush, how can I send a 1/2 O to SC without it being seized?
Donna says
Mail it USPS Priority Mail.
Travel420 says
I am flying to Bali I want to bring edibles but I’m worried about Bali customs! Has anyone traveled there with anything like vapes or edibles?
Cory says
DO NOT DO THIS. Weed is highly illegal in Bali. Big mistake. Currently someone from AUS is serving a 10 year sentence for having a joint in his pocket. I’ve been to Bali and I wouldn’t even take up someone on their offer to sell bc it could be an undercover cop. Their police force is very corrupt.
James Obendorf says
I packed my vape pen in my backpacks small top pocket (you know the one that is used for storing pencils, pens, usb sticks etc.) and it wasn’t searched. I even had a gummy edible in the large part of my backpack (where I usually store my laptop). I haven’t tried it with flowers yet, could use some pointers for when I travel next year.
steph says
Did you also happen to fly with vape cartridges? I’m trying to determine the best way to get those on a flight.
Chuck Norris says
I put my vape cartridges in my makeup bag (in my carry on). Since the size and overall appearance of most cartridges blend in with all the other little tubes and packs that makeup comes in it seemed to be the best place for concealment (in my opinion). 2 years and many flights later I have yet to run into any issues. The most cartridges I have ever traveled with was 4.
For those that wouldn’t normally be caring a makeup bag lol (Fellas) a small travel bag with your shower/grooming supplies i.e. toothpaste, razors, eye drops, etc. would probably suffice.
I should also note that I am local to Portland Oregon and fly out of PDX at least once a month. My round trip airports include ORD, MDW, DEN, SAN, SMF, OAK, FLL, ATL, BOS, JFK, LAS, BOI (and I’m sure I’m missing a few, but you get the point)
Hope that helps!
Mona says
What about if you check your make up bag with your bigger suitcase? I have a disposable vape pen I’m considering flying with but I won’t be carrying my make up on.
OaklandMofo says
Do NOT check vape pens, it is illegal and the reason is the batteries randomly explode and can cause the entire plane to crash. The TSA is very clear about this and I linked to it in the article.
Steph says
So my husband got about 8 disposable carts on in his vape kit. It had all his batteries, the device, and a bunch of juice and pens. They opened it, said okay, that was that.
Spicy says
I have a vape pen that I want to take to Ireland. I have been worried about when I arrive in customs there if they have a dog can they smell that stuff? Or is it better to check the cartridges and keep the battery in my check in…that is the only thing I worry about. Smell and dogs
anon says
Has anyone tried putting it in a moisture barrier bag? I am flying out of San Diego to PHL and I have my rec card. Was planning on bringing 1/4oz.
Ethan says
Thanks for the article!!!! Looking at 1-3 grams tops of regular bho from Bellingham, WA to Mesa, AZ. Everything before having read your article has recommended some sort of plastic container i.e.: chapstick, slick, toiletries, etc. Looking for some better insight and whether or not this is too much. Also would like a little info on parchment/ptfe and what it looks like in the scanner.
Mary says
How about bringing a 0.5oz dropper tincture bottle?
311fan4ever says
So bringing weed and edibles is 100% safe… what about vape pens and the oil cartridges to smoke? Is that safe even if its metal. What about plastic prescription pill bottles? Trying to figure this out as I’m flying from WI to Vegas and back in 4 months. Any help is appreciated. I had driven to CO this last summer and brought stuff back and even was nervous then… Being on an airplane makes me more nervous but reading everyones comments and stories makes me think more positive and puts my mind at ease a little bit.
OaklandMofo says
Well, I moved here to Las Vegas and weed is legal so you could just go to the store when you get here.
webby says
You can just buy it in a store with out a card?
OaklandMofo says
Yup, any weed store. I go all the time.
100% legal for anyone over 21 with an ID to buy weed here. And in Oregon, Washington, Denver and soon California.
But yes, Las Vegas, Nevada, the state that used to be highly against weed, now sells it to anyone. At a friggen store for weed.
Ashley says
So any weed, edibles can be put in a smell proof bag and its 100% safe…. I am going to Vegas in 4 months and would like to bring some home with me. What about the vape pen itself and contents to go on it that you smoke…. it’s all safe?
Earl says
Just flew from US to Thailand with a bag of edible gummies in an opened candy bag with a variety of regular candy. No problems, went through customs in the middle east and Thai customs and it was never detected. Thanks for the article!
Jamie says
I will be traveling to Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket, Ko Samui) via PDX then Tokyo, how was the airport security internationally? I’m thinking of bringing edibles and a vape cartridge and I’m confident I can get through security scanning with it I’m just nervous there might be drug dogs lol. I’m sure any security dogs will be sniffing for dangerous materials but all of my research says Thailand does not take marijuana use lightly and I don’t want to get locked up before my vacation even starts!
Flo says
Flying from Cali to New York and I was wondering if I can take a vape pen with me on the plane?
Angela Smith says
Yes, I did, but kept battery on me and cartridge in checked make up bag.
OaklandMofo says
Exactly, do not check a battery. You may just blow up your plane.
spontcumb says
So funny yet…..so absurdly true…!!!
Karee finks says
Hey, I need to know how to bring a 1/2 of dro. How can I do this? I’m flying from SD to LV.
OaklandMofo says
It’s legal here in Vegas. You can just go to the store and buy some.
JackieJones17 says
Hey guys I’m flying out from Newark, NJ airport to Fort Laudedale, FL … I’m flying out with my boyfriend and I was thinking of bringing 2 8ths with me. What do you guys think? Should I carry on one 8th an he carry on the other? Help!!
DankLion says
Anyone have any experience flying out of Newark and into Chattanooga? Going to a bachelor party and it is CRUCIAL. Reading all these posts, it seems like it’s fine.
inky says
Hey guys! I will be flying out of Las Vegas and was wondering if I should be concerned about bringing my brass knuckles vape with me at all? I’m concerned more about dogs than people and have not flown in a while so I have no idea if there are dogs at airport security or not. I was just going to double bag it in plastic with my makeup stuff. I plan on bringing two cartridges back from my destination because they help with my depression… Anyone know if the dogs will detect the cartridges?
Frequent Flyer says
There are usually only dogs on international flights, not domestic ones and if you do see one, it’s trained to sniff explosives, not drugs. They usually aren’t cross trained, but are specialized I believe.
Sarah says
I was thinking about bringing an ounce or two with me; do you think that is too much?
Sarah says
Going to Florida for my senior trip soon and I was going to bring weed from NY to Florida vice versa. Was wonder how to get the weed through the airport and how much I can bring. And how to find dealers?
DiligentTen says
Best way to travel with 1 cannabis oil cartridge?
felicity benson says
The little plastic baggies pot is sold in seem to have an internal reflective coating. Should I take the pot out of the package it is in, since the baggy is plastic and I guess they see pot inside plastic as organic material…..?
Kaylee says
I am going on a trip to LA then Las Vegas (where it’s finally legalized). I wanted to bring back maybe a zip or more but I depart from LAX to come back to Boston. Will it still work if I put the weed in the baggy it came with from the store and ball it up with my socks? I don’t have a medical card and I read someone’s comment on how they search extra at LAX? And I definitely don’t want police involved since I’ll be traveling with family.
OaklandMofo says
I live in Las Vegas now but could not tell you why or if LAX is any different than all other airports.
Lala says
Thinking of taking a little bit of hash on a plane to Asia. Was going to put it in with my make up in my checked luggage. Should this be ok? Should I try and disguise it? Any good advice would be appreciated.
Anonn says
Don’t, it is not safe crossing international borders. There may be very harsh penalties.
ICH says
Seriously? Is it REALLY worth it to chance being arrested somewhere in Asia? Especially an area with notoriously harsher drug laws regarding foreigners bringing drugs into their countries.
I’d highly recommend you read some of the stories posted about people being arrested & thrown in jail for a “little” bit of hash …..
Nena1816 says
Hello,
So I’m in WA state and I’m traveling to California to visit family. I just bought a vape pen, can I bring it with me on my carry on or do I put it in my checked luggage bag?
OaklandMofo says
Never put that in your checked luggage. The battery could explode and take the whole plane down.
Plus I’m pretty sure they say do not put that in your checked luggage.
Dave-o says
I’ve done the exact thing you are describing. I had 0 trouble. I put the cartridges with my toiletries in my checked bag and my vape battery in my carry-on. Have fun in California!
Mzs says
I read many comments actually about sneaking some weed.
I am going to Sweden – from Michigan, and I’ve got a medical marijuana card.
I liked the cartridges so much and just wanna sneak some to Sweden.
Please I need tips how to pack them and where to put them.
And tips how to mail it safely.
I appreciate your help! Great site!!!
kat says
I am going to Vegas with my best friend and we are flying of course and I was wondering if I would be okay with bringing two grams and hiding it in my carry on in a hair brush. Please help.
OaklandMofo says
I just moved to Vegas and it is now legal here too.
However, based on suggestions, the hairbrush may be overkill.
Plastic and organics are different colors so it could be obvious you stuffed something in there and something showing in a hairbrush may be unnatural.
Put it in something else organic. Socks most people say.
420 says
Anyone with experience flying Alaska Airlines with marijuana vape pens? I usually fly with a modest amount of flower in a pill bottle, but now that I’ve switched to the much stealthier vape, I’m nervous flying with it. I do vape nicotine on another device and never had issues flying with it. I read Alaska Airlines stance on their website “Carriage of Marijuana. While some states allow recreational or medical marijuana possession within their borders, possession of marijuana continues to be illegal under federal law. Accordingly, Alaska Airlines does not allow guests to transport marijuana on any of our flights.” Ok… so? Marijuana vape pen on my flight to Kauai next month yes? Or no not a good idea? Only answer if you have direct experience with Marijuana vape in carry-on on Alaska Airlines. Thanks peeps.
439 says
I have flown with a vape pen all over the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe and have never been asked about it. It has been through secondary screening several times. Never have I been asked what it was.
Sheila says
Did you separate the pen from the battery? Unopened? Doesn’t the liquid need to be unclear plastic bag with other liquids? Or are you just sticking it in with cloths?
James says
I was hoping to bring my dab pen and a half gram cartridge on my trip to France from SFO where should I put the cartridge? Should I keep them connected or separate?
Toemaws says
Hey people! As a guy who flys more than the pilots themselves I got the trick. I’ve been flying for years with a Copenhagen can packed full it’s airtight smell proof and easy as hell. Just looks like Copenhagen. Try it out. Plus you can bring a lot more than just a joint. Who would bring just 1 joint?! Come on people. Another thing is strip cigarettes and put a pack of pre rolls in your bag smell isn’t that bad. Watch out for those drug dogs though. All the people that say TSA don’t care think again because having some shitty TSA badge is the closest thing those nerds have to being a bad ass and they have no excitement so they’d love to show some power by messing you up. Fly safe. Stay high.
P. S.
Don’t smoke your herb in the designated smoking areas. haha it’s not worth it.
Racheal says
So I’m going to DR next week and leaving from NYC. 8 and I really want to bring weed with me since I don’t trust to get from random people on the island. I was thinking of rolling up maybe 4-5 joints and putting them in a plastic bag and hiding it under all my clothes. Is this a really smart idea or stupid? Should I just not roll them up and put the the amount of weed in a airtight container and bury it under my clothes? By the way I’m not checking my luggage so it’s all carry on items. If anyone can answer before I leave on the 5 of this month would be great.
Alberto says
Did you manage to get through? Let me know please.
K says
Hey, me and my boyfriend are going to Louisiana from Nevada and he has his medical card. And we want to bring some bud but im getting really nervous about them finding it and us missing our flight. I have read the article but still worried, has anyone flown from Nevada?
Fawn says
The Clark County Commissioners are in the process of passing a law to make possession of marijuana illegal anywhere at McCarran Airport. Even the parking garage. It was tabled at their most recent meeting to get some language clarified, with the plan to pass it in late August. So, even though recreational marijuana is legal in Nevada, you will be charged if found trying to fly out of McCarran with it.
Tweety Bird says
If you have a direct flight and no detour your fine. We have flown back home a couple of times with ours. We put it in our carry on and just recently because we had glass we checked our bags but highly recommend carry ons. Never had any problems.
Jon says
I HIGHLY recommend that you DO NOT attempt it if you are going to DR! They have ZERO tolerance or sense of humor for that at all! If they catch you with it there, they’ll nail ya to the cross faster than you can blink. DR is NOT the place to arrive at with weed.
TBI Insider says
I flew flew out of Denver to Paris last June.
I took edible jellied infused candies and Omega3 capsules infused with THC and CBD to be safe and not put everything in one hatch because I just did not know.
It turned out as a non issue.
Came back through Amsterdam and was totally bummed there was no time to explore this cool land, maybe next time.
Just pack reasonable amounts and you are good to go.
Trevor says
I have been using a THC pen medically for 1.5 years now, I have severe colitis in some times of my life. I’m going on a trip soon and was wondering if the thc/cbd pills worked for you?
White chupacabra says
Going on a flight from JFK to ORL, then a Disney cruise. My connect has vape pens, gummies, cookies, and oil gel caps. I’m thinking of going with the gel caps because I can buy some vitamin E and replace a few of those for oil ones, mix it with different medications and vitamins. What do y’all think of this game plan?
Fla says
Careful! Concentrates are a felony in FL.. stick with the bud
Lise Talansky says
I took a gallon zip lock bag of cookies to Honduras 5 years ago, flying out of Sacramento, CA I have packed hash in an eye shadow container, and put a half ounce in a seal a meal down my pants. Purchased candies are great~ Terrace Bites, chocolate covered blueberries in a tin are real convenient.
Bettie Bongrips says
Why is everyone worried about their vapes, wax and especially edibles? I would say edibles would be one of the easiest least effort items to take on a plane. They are food and most food is allowed through security and on the plane and they don’t look at packaging. Vape pens are fabulous for vacation, forget the $100+ ones, get a bloomfarms highliter or a few disposables (even better) then no worries about smoking in the hotel rooms, saving yourself more usual paranoia. Most things I read do recommend carry on instead of checked since you don’t know if they are checking your bag elsewhere and if you have something to look forward to when you get off the plane. If it’s not something they are specifically looking for or just down right obvious (we forget shit; we’re stoners), they are not concerning themselves with our silly attempts to try and hide our vacation stashes. Remember these people are at work and like most of us, if it aint in the job description… well then, extra work? I think not! but if they come to check your carry on after security; you’re clearly going to prison :)
Things I’ve forgotten about, that were obvious NoNo’s that I have been stopped for: piece of fruit, piece of metal in my bra? ( he wanded the girls so I guess) and a 4oz bottle of face wash. Never ever for the weed, I should mention, not the coke either.
David Samuels says
People are probably to paranoid about the TSA, and even the boarder control about small amounts of Marijuana.
I live in Washington State. About 6 years ago my wife and I were coming back from Canada into Washington and we’re stopped at the border.
This was a rental car and since we had only stayed in Canada for half a day it must have set off a red flag. They thoroughly searched the car and they found about 4 to 5 grams of bud . For reasons to this day I do not understand, my wife had left the bud in the car.
So off we go to be questioned. Now I have a felony on my record for growing Marijuana, well getting caught growing Marijuana, in Washington before it was legal. This made for a very interesting conversation with the border guard. I just fest up to the errors of my ways. I figured he probably had all the information on his computer monitor anyway.
The border guard was actually pretty cool about the whole thing. He did make it clear that this probably was not real smart on our part, but he really didn’t want to waste his time on it. However, it was a bit nerve rattling.
Frankly I would be terrified going to some of the states where a joint is a felony.
Clever Cosmetics says
We recently flew to Seattle and the opportunity to bring back some pot to the antiquated state we live in was too good to pass up. I read up beforehand and this is the method I went with: I purchased 7 grams, a bag of Jolly Rancher type edibles and a bag of peanut butter cup edibles. The edibles were easy-I took them all out of their individually wrapped bags, put the candies in with an actual bag of Jolly Ranchers and the peanut butter cups in a plastic bag in my purse along with a Hershey bar and since it all just smelled like candy, I would have been fooled myself had I not known. The bud was a little tougher. I didn’t bring my grinder to Seattle because I couldn’t think of a way to make that look like anything other than what it was on the X-Ray scanner. Initially I was going to just wrap the bud really well and hide it in our clothes in our carry on but again I wondered if that wouldn’t be totally obvious on an X-Ray scanner. What I wound up doing was breaking the bud down as best I could, then putting half in a plastic oval Physician’s formula face powder container and the other half in a plastic round MAC Transparent powder container-both still with powders in them, just a small bit of plastic wrap between the bud and the powder. I reasoned that both would look mostly like powder on a scanner and shouldn’t raise any red flags. I’m a woman, I wear cosmetics, nothing abnormal to cause suspicion. Both containers went in a Ziploc sandwich bag (which again seemed normal because powders can spill) in my toiletry case in my carry on. Of course, at the airport, we get in the line with a screener who has a stick up her ass. She yelled at a few people in line in front of us for putting too many items in a tray and for not putting their roll on bags on the belt the right way. She seemed to be flagging every other bag to be checked and I was nervous but decided to proceed as every other line was long and my husband wanted to get through security quickly. Sure enough, my bag gets flagged (though not the purse with the peanut butter cup edibles). I played it completely cool, telling the TSA guy what was in my bag, leaving out the whole weed bit. He opened the part with the Jolly Ranchers and never even blinked-just kept digging. Then he got to the toiletry bag and I was sure I had been found out. You can see on a screen in front of you while they’re searching your bag what area the screener has flagged to be looked at and the area where my toiletry bag was located was circled. He opened up the section with the powders, looked at it and the Ziploc bag (though not carefully or closely), then shut it and went to another part of the bag. I nearly passed out. He then pulled out my husband’s diabetic supplies (he’s Type 1) and said, “this must have been the issue”, put it back inside, and sent us on our way. Now, did we just get lucky, did the scanner actually see the diabetic supplies and circle that or did she see the weed and the guy who checked our bag either didn’t care or didn’t see it (both powder containers were small and cloudy due to powder residue)? I have no idea. But I’m not prone to anxiety or being nervous and this situation did cause my heart to fall to my stomach a few times. I don’t know if I’d try to sneak this quantity again-in retrospect 7 grams is a lot to try and hide. But I knew the risk I was taking, what the consequences might be and I don’t regret it. Even if I had gotten caught I wouldn’t have regretted it-it was worth the risk for me. So this is an idea. And, you know, having some needles in your bag that are medically necessary and can act as a decoy really helps, too!
Annari says
Hey, I need help. I’ve been reading all the posts everyone has made but I am still sketched out. I’m flying from Sacramento airport in Cali and I’m landing in Maui. Hawaii. I’ve heard multiple people saying put it in your socks. I’m planning on taking $60 worth and a couple edibles. Will I get searched? Not sure where’s the safest way to put it.
Bettie Bongrips says
Don’t be sketched out and take more. You’ll be bummed when you get the couple things through and you’ve shorted yourself. $60 worth? 1/8? You should be good 1 1/2 days lol. Get a battery/pen not a pricey one or even disposable are awesome on vacations.
Trevor says
How can you sneak a vape pen with thc cartridges on planes and then onto a cruise ship?
Boomchicka says
“Trevor” my ass, Dad, is this you?
Laurette says
I’ve put loose buds in rolled socks on many international flights and a few months ago I walked through security at four airports in three countries (two in the US and two in Europe) with 100 lollies in a gallon ziplock right in my purse, with one in my mouth, and didn’t even get a second look.
Cathy says
I just flew from Denver to Orlando and put a 1/4 ounce in a ziploc bag in the middle of my dirty clothes bag in my carry on. Not a problem, went right through TSA.
Grimm says
I just got through security like 10 minutes ago with a quarter of an ounce(6 grams) or 2 1/8ths of weed with my carry on.
I buried it deep in my clothes in a Ziploc baggie with it wrapped in several layers of clothes. I did not alert anyone.
Don’t sweat it.
Just don’t draw attention to yourself by acting nervous like having darting eyes or sweating.
You’ll be fine.
Even if I did get caught I have my Medical Marijuana card.
I alerted the body scan with my watch & earrings & they were totally cool about it.
I did not alert them with weed though. Just wanted to make that clear.
If you do want to avoid all attention since you might be extremely paranoid, just remove all your jewelry (including watches) & you won’t even beep when you walk through the scanner.
I’ll post an update about boarding a cruise with it in a few days for those of you who are wondering if you can or not. :]
Dadada says
Grimm I really appreciate what you wrote. I’ll be boarding a cruise myself. Are you traveling internationally if you don’t mind my asking.
Grimm says
Yes.
I’m boarding Carnival on August 21st in New Orleans to the Western Caribbean.
To be honest, I’ve searched the Internet nonstop the past couple of days to know how people get away with it.
I’m scared to try to be honest. If I fail at this, I could go to prison for drug smuggling or they might take it if they find it while I’m embarking.
I don’t know though. Point being, I’ve done extensive research.
What types of scanners they have (airport metal detectors & I will verify the day of my cruise after I’ve boarded), how people have brought it on, the ENTIRE process of embarking, scents that drug dogs hate (just in case shit goes south. They are citrus & chili peppers by the way. They would be the easiest to get a hold of), the different types of full body scanners, even what the colors mean for a TSA carry on scanner.
One thing I noticed throughout every forum, thread, article, website, etc. is that people were caught because of the pungent smell it had. Even when they smoked outside on their balcony!
If I know one thing about weed it’s that the smell lingers.
So that being in mind, I bought a $30 stealth pipe which is very compact, a smoke buddy (neutralizes the odor of weed/cigarette smoke. It’s about $11-$20. Buy it online or in a smoke shop.), air wick fragrance wall plug-in (try to get strong citrus smell or at least something that eliminates odor, or craft a fragrance yourself).
There are recipes, and be sure to add lemons, oranges, limes, & grapefruits (those are the citrus fruits), and add chili peppers such as jalapeños (drug dogs, even household dogs, are extremely sensitive to that & if you combine the two, it’ll make it so when they do try to smell your bag, it’ll irritate their sense of smell & MIGHT even mess it up for a little while, not sure though about messing up their sense of smell) & also try Bath & Body works. They might have perfume with those two combined scents), & I also bought gain Island Fresh dryer sheets for my carry on since I couldn’t find regular citrus scented sheets. They have a “splash of citrus” (Orange & lemon I believe) but the original gain sheets are citrus scented (another thing I spent 2 hours looking up).
I did buy a renuzit gel fragrance stick with the scent being Citrus Orchard.
I plan on stuffing 1 or 2 dryer sheets in my Smoke Buddy so that the air that comes out potentially smells like Island Fresh. Haven’t tried it yet but I will.
All this information is on the Internet.
It may be difficult to find at first but if you dig deep & care enough, you’ll find it.
You should care. This is your future on the line.
As for the method, I haven’t decided yet. I’m still up in the air about how I should do it.
I hope this helps! :]
OaklandMofo says
Hey Grimm!
Thanks for the info and let us know how it goes.
Grimm says
I successfully got on the ship with my weed. Yay!
I put the ganja in the 1st bag & wrapped each one in an Island Fresh dryer sheet & then created a cocoon of dryer sheets around it. Then in the 2nd bag, I wrapped the 1st bag in dryer sheets so it would just look like a bag full of dryer sheets. After that, I sprayed Pure Citrus air freshener (eliminated the smell of weed almost instantly) in the bag. Sprayed several different spots in the carry on & then zipped it up & sprayed the whole bag.
Its been hours since I did that but you still can’t smell the weed.
At the cruise terminal in New Orleans they use metal detectors & a TSA bag scanner. I was worried but did not show it in the face or body language.
It went through & they found nothing out of the ordinary. I then proceeded to the check in area to have my security picture taken & money to put on my sail & sign card. Then over to the card reader so I could board the cruise. Carnival security was a breeze.
Not so fun fact: They only have ONE outlet in the cabin so bring power strips!
Joe says
We went on a cruise in January. Didn’t bother to bring weed. Bought weed in st. Thomas and then more in St. Maarten. It’s all over the place, my way of thinking is why chance it when you can just buy it there and it was good and as a matter of fact fun. Just a thought.
smokiestuff says
Hey Grimm! I smuggled weed on a cruise a few years ago and literally took no precautions, and I was fine! I just stuffed a baggie in my bra. I did not see any drug dogs or any scanners other than walking through a metal detector. Going through customs is easy lol I smelled like dank the whole time and didn’t even get flagged. :)
jude says
Dogs sense of smell acts differently then ours. If you make a stew of onions, meat, veggies and marijuana humans smell stew.But Dogs noses smell each individual smell, so they would smell onions, meat,veggies and marijuana. So you can not mask the odor of marijuana from a drug sniffing dog.
MikeR says
Good thing TSA dogs are only trained to smell explosives.
CaptainJay says
Yesterday I went through DIA with 10 grams of lemon g Saran wrapped then put in a subway sandwich. 2 grams of shatter wrapped in jolly rancher wrapper and thrown back in bag. 1 gram of wax in a lipstick tube. And 3 1000mg prefilled Vape chambers. And a crap ton of edible hard candy and soft candy. Didn’t have any issues at all. I’m am now back in my state that does not allow anything and very happy.
Ant says
I am getting on a plane next week. I have been thinking about taking my vape pen that holds THC oil. I was just wondering the process of how closely they look at your vape pens?? Do I need to keep the cartridge with the pen or separate? Also, is it something that i need to take out of my bag and place on the tray or do i just keep it in my purse?
TheDoa says
This worked like a fucking charm.
Thank you, Sir.
Layla Crawdad says
I’m under 18, traveling outside of the US.. can i just place a small amount in a small smell proof ziplock bag in my pants pocket or something instead of my carryon? They aren’t doing body scans right?
OaklandMofo says
I am not sure about airport body scans but maybe someone else can answer.
I do know some airports do them but am not sure how that would show up.
They do ask you to empty your pockets into the tray.
I would stick to the suit case carry on.
Annonomous says
No! Don’t put it in your pocket! I’ve been doing lots of research and google the pictures of the body scans TSA sees. They’ll spot it right away BC you look naked.
Laychomp says
I once put one of my weed gummies in my bra because I use them as pockets sometimes. But I forgot it was there and went through John Wayne airport body scanner and got patted down and was okay. Then a bit after I heard its wrapper and laughed since the body scanners didn’t catch it.
Also I’m trying to bring 3 different 1000mg edibles with me to Oklahoma, does the strength affect how it’ll show on x-ray? Also I’m using a rolling bag and a backpack. Which would be a better place to hide it? Should I get non medicated snacks to camouflage it? Because I don’t know if covering my edibles with my socks would look right lol. Let me know tho because I’m flying in 2 weeks.
Maggie says
Yes, you will go through a body scan. But, they are looking for explosives. The scans only see metal and other non biologics. DO NOT TAKE POT TO ASIAN SOUTH EAST COUNTRIES!! Those places do extreme checks… and if caught, you are executed.
Earl says
I’m traveling soon to Thailand and am planning on bringing edible gummies with me. I’m just going to put them in a sour patch kids bag with a trail mix of gummies and candy. Whats the risk as far as customs is concerned over there?
Kristen says
They do body searches so I suggest you do not put it in your pocket!
Jeff says
I tried to bring one joint in baggie in my sock and the body scanner picked it up. They say everything out of your pockets, even paper. They let it slide, Orlando, Fl.
Grimm says
Honestly, with my experience they are completely random. Sometimes I do & sometimes I don’t.
When I flew to New Orleans 8/18/16 leaving from San Diego, I only went through a metal detector (metal detectors do not pick up weed by the way).
However,
I shoved it in my carry on buried & layered in several layers of clothes & did not get caught & I had 6 grams in there.
It will show up as orange on the TSA bag scanner but the pill bottle or container will show up as either green or blue depending on what the casing is made of.
Orange for organic materials like paper & marijuana & believe it or not, even cocaine. Green is for synthetic materials like plastic. Blue is for a combination of metal & plastic material. Black is for metal like steel.
They sell airtight weed containers that can hold up to 6oz if ground up 1st but I don’t know if people have brought them to the airport in their carry-on & successfully gotten through. I did ask though. Fingers crossed.
Derek says
They do have body scanners and they will see the weed in your pocket, security is not customs.. security is looking for anything dangerous. Just put your weed in your carry on as the article states.
MikeR says
I wouldn’t. The body scanners show synthetics like plastic as blue imagery and organic as orange. The blue plastic baggie will stand out brilliantly against the organe background of your body.
Chuck says
Just a question, my friend is flying from Cali and was considering bringing 2 edibles max but has no clue how to sneak them past security, for people who have done it what is the best way to succeed?
Maggie says
No need to sneak. Edibles cannot be detected. The cooking process denatures the scent molecules! Just take it out of the original package and place in a plastic plain baggie and mix with other non pot candies…if you want to be extra safe. The dogs are trained to smell for FRESH and RAW fruits and veggies.
Chuck says
Thanks for the info, but she says they don’t allow any food or drink unless it was purchased in the airport, she’s going through LAX of course.
Maggie says
Wrong. You can take candy, gum etc… That you bring with you. Read the TSA guidelines.
Tweety Bird says
Yes through LAX they took my bottle of soda I had just purchased not even opened. However Food you can take. I went through with the edibles I purchased there with the original plastic container that says what it is & they didn’t even bat an eye just on my unopened soda saying it’s not allowed. I wouldn’t sweat it. Tell them put it in a bag for carry on and keep moving.
Cubro says
Just because the author hasn’t been caught doesn’t mean you won’t. They check for all drugs. Not “just hard drugs”. Best thing to do is mail it ahead of time or buy some in the next city. Oh and btw if you need to check online how to smuggle drugs then you are some kind of stupid.
OaklandMofo says
Cop.
Dcarber says
Cop for sure.
alberto says
That guy’s a narc.
ChicaSuave says
Stupid? Maybe. But I’m also a novice and am strictly using edibles and cbd oil for my ulcerative colitis. With an upcoming trip, I want to make sure I can have my medicine and not feel like a criminal.
Mike says
Get your info straight. It’s on the TSA web site that they don’t search for Marijuana!!!
John says
“Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but in the event a substance that appears to be marijuana or a cannabis infused product is observed during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/medical-marijuana
Correct!
naytron says
Because shipping it IS SO SAFE. Piggy pig pig. I work for UPS, they only bust people for it weekly…
Anthony says
If you seriously believe it’s safer to mail it than to take it on a plane then you might be retarded. Then again you’re probably just a cop.
MikeR says
Its actually safer to use the mail. They need a warrant to open your USPS mail, not for your TSA carry-on. The volume of mail is immense, it’s super easy to mail drugs.
Da says
I’m flying to Rome in a few weeks and am considering taking wax/concentrates. Sounds promising. Any advice on how to pack it in my carry on?
Felix says
Some friends of ours had no problem getting from Denver to Puerto Plata and back with some waxxx in a carmex tin. Cheers.
em says
I flew from Oklahoma City to Hartford, CT in which both states weed is illegal. I’ve actually been in Connecticut a week now and found about a gram I had in my purse the whole time lol. So I agree – The best thing to do is simply put it somewhere casual, like in your carry on, then forget about it, be chill and you’ll be good to go.
Aks says
Hello There,
I’m going to the Bahamas, I will be going thought several stops at different airports and customs also, would you recommend a weed tampon? I’m talking as far as hiding it in my SECRET PLACE? Would scanners detect it? Thank you.
Marijuana Maggie says
No! Scanners cannot pickup organic materials. Scanners are looking for explosives, gun parts etc..
Pot smoker Preston says
Yeah I agree! Scanners will not pick up anything, I am still a minor with a “green card” and I have brought everything from straight weed, wax pens to vapes and have never been checked. TSA is not the DEA they are not looking for weed, it won’t hurt anyone. If you try and bring a gun that’s different… Thankfully weed is pretty much legal and most TSA agents smoke as well so they won’t care.
MikeR says
Guy, explosives are organic. Scanners show organic material as bright orange, synthetics like plastic as bright blue.
Cottonjenney says
Aka, are you serious?
Talk about paranoid, did you even read any of the article?
There is no need to stuff any body cavity with cannabis. Jesus people. If you just put it in your purse and spritz some citrus freshness in there you’ll be good to go. No metal tins, no big plastic bottles, just put it in a baggie and go.
OaklandMofo says
Seriously, I do not know where they come up with this stuff.
If I allowed every backwards question this place would be thousands deep.
But every now and then one like that makes me laugh so I approve it lol.
Jenn says
I’ve flown out of Harrisburg, Pa airport more times than I can count. They put me in the body scanner every time. I swear by the tampon method. If its soft, just put it in a thin baggie and shape it like the cotton insert. Of its more rough and dry, grind it up. And take out the stems for fucks sake! I leave it in until I land at either the last layover or at landing. Yeah it’s weird, but it works. And I feel way more safe with it there than anywhere in my carry on bag.
Annonomous says
But I heard that if you go into the other scanner that spins, they can see inside you?
Dcarber says
Nope. You look kind of like gumby on the screen.
Dan says
What about a bottle of topical lotion that contains cannabis? Do you think I’d be OK flying from Portland to Burlington with it in a checked bag?
Maggie says
As long as your bottle is within the carryon limits.
NeckProblems says
So the THC is not visible in the lotion?
OaklandMofo says
Of course not. How would they see THC with an X-Ray scanner or metal detector?
Alec Lipscomb says
I’m flying back from Oregon, and my brother is a minor, so he only has metal detectors. I’m planning on putting it in his pants pocket. Is it ok?
OaklandMofo says
Ummmmmm no.
Did you even read the article?
Also in Oregon, weed it is LEGAL.
Nia says
Why couldn’t you just put it in pocket or underwear for girl?
Marijuana Maggie says
You can! Super important Not to trigger an alert! They are NOT looking for pot! They don’t want to find pot either! Just be normal! You will be fine.
Cottonjenney says
NOOOOO,
It’s legal in Oregon, but not for minor’s! Never give cannabis to a minor for travel! If they find it on you, they do nothing because it’s LEGAL. If they catch it on him, YOU GO TO JAIL!
Lissa says
Recreational marijuana is only legal in Oregon for those 21 and older. PDX only has full body scanners and they’re big on drug dogs.
Gary says
I just posted the question about my upcoming trip to Grand Bahama island. I have a legal medical marijuana card here in Michigan, but I am landing in Florida, then getting on a turbo prop going to the Bahamas.
Maggie says
I have flown with all types of pot, internationally.. As long as you don’t trigger a search, you should be fine.
Maggz says
So do you guys suggest not to do this for international flights?
Know It All says
Do NOT carry drugs on an international flight specially something childish and silly as weed with can be purchased at your destination with relative easiness, take care.
thedude says
I flew to Bejing, China for a business trip and really considered bringing a nug for some hotel smoking, but I decided against it after doing some research.
I’m glad I decided against it. Their police are straight up military, and officers thoroughly search your carry-on bag while LEAVING the country (and randomly at customs coming in). If they found any amount of weed, I’d be imprisoned or worse.
Sally says
My 16-year old daughter has been suffering from post-concussion syndrome (headache) for 2 years now and we just found CBD capsules (10mg with 1mg THC) that are really helping! And believe me we have tried every kind of western and eastern treatment imaginable. We live in Oregon and can get it without a prescription. She is traveling to Argentina this summer on a student exchange program and we are trying to figure out if there is any way she could travel with them. Obviously will not risk her getting caught, but she has finally found some relief and we hate to have her headache come back when she is abroad. Any ideas?
Totes says
You could just put the capsules into a bottle of similar gelcaps such as Vitamin E, maybe stuffing the top of the bottle with a scented cloth and spraying the suitcase with citrus if they smell. Should be straightforward.
I once smuggled Codeine tablets from England, where they’re legal and OTC, by finding a Calcium supplement of similar appearance and putting them in the bottle.
Kevin says
Just a heads up to the author, weed is also decriminalized in Maryland as long as it’s under 10 grams in addition to paraphernalia.
Ankn says
Put it this way for all those who are still wary… There isn’t a place I haven’t gone yet without my flower even if it seems so crazy to do so. In fact they don’t even look for it, I swear they only search for bombs and hard drugs, not weed (depends thought some places are risky). In the USA the TSA doesn’t look for it, I don’t know how many times I have watched the bud just pass through the scanner on the xray machine. While the guy was looking lol. Just don’t hide it or put it with stuff that will get searched by hand, put only clothes and food and put it in a little baggie and you’re all good.
Dcarber says
Double. Bag it and put it in the middle of a subway sandwich and wrap it up tightly place a bag of chips and a regular cookie. I have never seen food being opened.
Jim says
I am going to Hawaii in June.
I have a glass Herb preserve jar that holds a gram.
It looks like a carmex jar but the glass is black.
If I put that jar along side a carmex jar in my carry on, would that work?
Grimm says
As long as the jar contains the intense weed smell & doesn’t leak but bury it in your clothes just to be safe!
The jar will come up on the scanner as green since glass is made from synthetic materials & the weed will come up as orange since it’s an organic substance.
You should be good.
However, after doing an insane amount of extensive research, EDIBLES ARE THE BEST & SAFEST WAY TO GO, AIRPORT OR CRUISE. Put them in a smell resistant bag or container & put it in your checked bag (put it in carry-on for cruises & just tell them you have dietary restrictions). That might also work with TSA.
TSA might have you throw out your food in your carry on though.
Lynn says
I’m going on a cruise ship & thinking of bringing gummy bears mixed in with other real gummys. I shouldn’t pack them in my checked in bag? It’s better to carry them on? Would the gummys alert dogs if they are there?
Juniper says
Hey Everyone- I would love some advice on an upcoming international trip to the UK. I have a medical cannabis card and wanted to bring some edibles and CBD oil with me. Thoughts and Ideas? Thanks!
Grimm says
Your card is only valid in the state you live in!
So it will be useless if you get caught in another state or country. Depending on the country, look up their laws for possession. It’s better to be completely prepared than just to wing it & if shit goes south, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Be very careful about international flights.
I have read countless stories from people about their experience with weed on international flights.
The K9 units are there in the airport in the international terminal but not for domestic flights.
I do not know if they are dual trained for drugs & bombs but it would honestly make sense if they were!
That being said, if its an international, flight check your bag. TSA is less likely to search it.
Put it in a airtight smell resistant container & just for insurance put a gel fragrance stick (preferably citrus scented that eliminates odors) & couple citrus scented dryer sheets like 2 or 3.
Dogs are very sensitive to the smell of citrus & chili peppers so if they do end up going near your bag, it’ll irritate their sense of smell & they’ll want to leave.
If you really want to get creative, create a fragrance assortment of all citrus fruits & a couple chili peppers like jalapenos & dip the dryer sheets in that concoction & let them dry. Then add them to your container but make sure it smells good & not like alcohol or cleaning chemicals. Should ward off the dogs.
I hope your trip went well! :]
Terry says
I’m about to head out to San Antonio, TX. And I was really concerned about taking 3g of weed in my carry-on. I now feeling more comfortable with an understanding to Just Don’t Over Think It. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Rome says
I just flew from San Antonio Texas, yes, Texas, to Lax with 3 grams of bud with no issues it being in a sock. Got to LA got 4 grams of medical bud and an edible and just made sure the bag it was in had NO METAL objects, or liquids, just like this article says, put it in my carry on in a small plastic airtight container and watched it on the xray, guy didn’t even blink. You gotta remember people the screeners stare at a screen with luggage being x rayed for hours at a time, would you be able to keep up the dedication of identifying everything you see? No you’d train yourself to look for black (metal) the other colors don’t matter. They really just see colors. Don’t panic remember if it’s found it’s just a citation, that’s like a parking ticket! I was so scared cause I don’t have a MMJ card, but after reading this and trying it twice successfully I can tell you relax, you’ll make it.
Adam says
The article said no plastic, but that seems to have worked for you. I’m wondering because I have a few nugs I plan on taking in a plastic prescription pill bottle, and I was wondering what their reasoning was behind “no plastic bottles”.
OaklandMofo says
Referring to carry on rules with plastic bottles such as shampoo, peanut butter, and various things people may try to hide their stash in. Do to size limitations those should be checked in a bag which I would not do with the green. Medication bottles are permitted by the TSA.
Rome says
I placed it in the plastic prescription bottle I bought the bud in and packed it with my other medications in my carry on. No issues.
Natalia O says
I just traveled to Puerto Rico from Florida, when I opened my bag the morning after I noticed I accidentally brought my weed with me lol. It was in a pink prescription looking pill container. Had no issues :)
anon says
About to do my most dangerous op…
I’ve found going out of Europe with weed is fairly easy, they still only have the metal detectors and no full body. As for the USA, I have only flown domestically, but never out internationally with cannabis, which I am about to do. I have flown with hash, wax, edibles, flower, seeds, but never out of United States to a different country. I am not worried about TSA, but more so worried about drug sniffing dogs. These days do they still sniff marijuana in SFO international terminal? I have flown since the age of 8 and have never seen one, but haven’t gone this past year. Has any one else done it before? I am going to Korea where it’s pretty dangerous, I have brought edibles and wax before but not pure flower. I’d say I’m pretty experienced in traveling with weed as everywhere in the world I have gone I always brought it with me, but this is the scariest mission for sure. What you guys think????
Roxy says
So I’m in Spokane, WA going to Juneau, AK. I have 2oz of dispensery marijuana to bring. I feel like that’s definitely too much to put in a carry on without getting it looked into. But I could be too paranoid! Does anyone have any thoughts? I’ve heard too many people freak out about mailing it, so I ruled that out. Thanks guys!
me says
Haha I just found this article while researching how to bring some edibles back to Juneau after an upcoming trip to Seattle. I’m interested to know what you ended up doing.
Kim says
So I went. I had NO PROBLEMS. In fact, I have a metal implant that set off the machine. They had to feel and wipe but never even came close to my weed. I suggest putting it under stuff in a carry on, placed in a inobvious container. MAKE SURE you don’t put any liquid or pressurized cans or such in the carry on or they WILL search it. Just stay calm and confident and you’ll be smoking that bud in no time!
Dave says
I am from Pennsylvania and fly quite often to Denver to get weed, I am 57, retired and I like my weed. I have had NO problems AT ALL, never even close. But I did notice “dogs” on my trip last week in the airport. They ARE NOT drug dogs. If they were, how many people would be “on hold” at the airport? LOTS! I noticed a lot of stoners leaving and it was so obvious and funny, they had no problems, just my comments folks.
BMX74 says
Has anyone every brought back “green” from Jamaica back to the US? Does anyone have any suggestions based off experience/knowledge?
Lambs breath says
Why would you? We have better bud then they do. If the is a risk it isn’t worth taking it. What you should do is bring some killer seeds with you. Share with the locals, they need different strains to breed.
billho says
I smuggled a couple of green buds. I put them in my bra and then sprayed a lot of free perfume on me in the duty free shop. My check bag was searched so don’t check it.
Kim says
I’ve flown twice to states that were not cannabis friendly. You are correct. They don’t search you on the way out, lol. However, upon telling my daughter that I had come bearing gifts, and will have gotten away with it as long as we don’t get dogs in the airport. At that moment, my daughter exclaimed and pointed “dog!”. It was a miniature terrier. Pretty funny!
melissa says
I’m going to Mexico next week and I bough kind pills. I need advice on how to stash them. Any ideas?
OaklandMofo says
People fly with pharmaceutical pills every single minute.
It is my understanding the pills are just as invisible to the TSA scanners as marijuana.
Meaning same rules apply.
Holly says
I was escorting my son, a minor flying solo, through LAX security during the holiday season of 2015, when I realized I forgot to take my weed box out of my purse. This was a complete oversight, luckily I removed my grinder, rolling papers and lighter in the car. Though I was incredibly nervous as we went through the checkpoint, my bag went through without issue, the guards were more concerned about my copper jewelry setting off the alarms than anything in my bag. I didn’t do anything special to my stash- it was in a wooden box (nothing smell proof) and unground. I was amazed that I was just allowed to pass through.
I wasn’t so lucky a couple years back in Utah when my hubby and I were pulled over by state troopers on the highway and arrested BEFORE our vehicle was searched, where they found 2 nugs of weed (seriously, $10 bucks worth), and ended up in jail with $10K worth of fines. The weed was in a jar, in a glove, under a seat. We were not smoking when we were pulled over, and it wasn’t on our bodies which would have been a felony.
The point is, I am more comfortable with flying with weed on a major airline driving through Utah with stems and seeds leftover from camping. I am now preparing to fly to Central America and am considering how to bring my hella jankey Norcal weed with me… and not worried in the slightest about doing so.
On a related note, in 2005 I flew from LAX to Portland (before legalization) with a checked bag containing several nugs wrapped plastic bag shoved into a jar of Vaseline. TSA did not inspect that bag, though they inspected my other bag, carefully laying my vibrator on top with a note that the bag had been opened.
OaklandMofo says
Haha I just love this story. It’s so true. You are safer flying with weed than being in most podunk backwards State Trooper infested American counties.
It’s strange something that is so accepted(legal) here(I moved to Portland) is the devils fire somewhere just a few hundred miles away.
Get it together America!
rock says
I would not suggest international smuggling. Over seas you have no constitutional protection. Good luck! Don’t be a fool! It’s only weed that could really mess up your life !
jxrx says
I would never try to bring weed on an international flight, most airports only do bomb dogs but drug dogs are used in international flights to catch big time smuggling, like heroin mules, or cocaine mules that swallow drug pellets.
Jsmith says
Made it through DIA very recently with 5 g wax packed tight in a blistex tub. Not a tube. Carmen would work fine but I didn’t want to risk the metal lid, left that in the bag as a diversion and wasn’t even looked at. 3 gs shatter warmed in hands and rolled into a jolly rancher then wrapped and tossed in a bag full of normal ones. And 2 bottles of gummy worms put on top of existing worms in an open pack of brite crawlers. Cheers and good luck to everyone.
Janedoe says
I’ve taken weed from Michigan to Florida multiple times but I’m going to be going to Mexico. I’ve never traveled out of the country before. Do they do more security checks? This may sound super naive but are there drugs dogs? I mean I could go without I would just love to make it trip that much better!
Cottonjenney says
I lived in MX for a few years, my advice is it’s not worth it.
You do not want to end up in a MX jail cell, and they have no issues taking everything you own. Just not worth it, and don’t go looking for some while you’re there. Its nasty seed filled shake, you’ll hack your lungs out for nothing.
Jessie Browne says
I have traveled around Europe and the USA. Don’t act dumb, don’t be greedy, just common sense, throw it in your carry on baggage and move on. Anything less than a 1/4, carefully hidden, will prob work… But it’s always a risk you get some asshole. TSA just wants to keep the line moving, so even if they find it. Smile, be nice and move along.
Another thing is filling a rolling tobacco packet with ground up weed. I use old round power containers. Sometime fill up 2 and throw them in my make up bag. I’ve had my bag searched many time and been left a TSA note but never found anything missing. They probably, if they even find it, pick up the joint and think it’s not worth the ink on the paperwork.
A friend of mine sent 4oz to Maui before a lot of us arrived and Fedex confiscated the package. No follow up to the sender or recipient. I get the feeling most people don’t want to make their job harder and it’s easier to throw in the trash or “magically have it disappear” than call the cops.
30more says
I’ve been traveling like the above-stated for months. Not to mention 5 flights this week, with a pen vape and a few cartridges. Not a patient, I don’t live in a medical state but I traveled to one at the beginning of this week Denver, and then hit up Washington a few days later. Here’s what I do. I vacuum seal the goods in a vacuum sealed bag. One of the handheld ones. They work fine. Then I place that bag into a Gonzo Bag. Then I place that bag into my lunch pail. Usually under a Tupperware dish with food in it. It has worked fine so far. But I do have a flight coming up next week to Puerto Rico that I’m worried about. I know it’s still US territory. But I feel like they will be looking harder. If I used above do you think I should still be ok?
CA Medical Patient says
Hello,
I bring wax (usually around 7 grams) on all my flights from LAX. Never had a problem. I usually put it in my suitcase and in my toiletry bag, or in pant pockets. Never had a problem in the 6 or 7 times I’ve done this. I do, however, always make sure I have my card with me – and in my vape box, I leave a note saying “This is a medical device, handle with care.” Hope this helps!
– CA Medical Patient
Dcarber says
I carried wax filled chap stick tubes through Oklahoma city airport and dropped the tube and a cop at the security checkpoint picked it up and gave it back to me. I thanked him, got my stuff then went about my business and found a restroom to smoke a few puffs.
cooper says
Great article! Ever since I started smoking weed (2 years ago), I’ve taken it (along with other random drugs & paraphernalia) on every plane ride I’ve been on. From Indianapolis to Spain, Mexico & Florida & from Chicago to Denmark to Sweden to Norway. I put it in a pill bottle rolled up in socks that are stuffed in shoes that are packed at the bottom of my bag & it’s worked every time. I think I’m going to start putting it in my carry on because of those random searches.
tonytone says
Great article bro. I was actually looking up bringing my vape pen via border crossing into Mexico when I came across this. Anyways like mentioned, I travel frequently and learned this exact method. I can honestly say I flew about 4-5 times with no more than a half ounce each time. And with those and maybe 1 or 2 other times I’ve successfully carried some other illicit gear. Closest call I had was with 7g of coke I had stashed in the draw strings of a hoodie. I put in a bin with a lot of electronics. I got stopped and had to search everything because of something on the xray. Not realizing I had a multi-tool with a small blade in that bin. I quickly tossed and was on my way. Distractions can work!!
Jane says
TSA said on their twitter page that vaporizers are fine to bring on the plane, just cant use them. I have brought my vape on the plane no problem. I remember seeing an article that states vapes may no long be permitted in your CHECKED bags. I’m not sure if that’s a law, but its around the corner. Put together your vape and put it in your bag, never had a problem. (just make sure it doesn’t look like a hand grenade or gun).
Tbone says
I am suppose to be heading from Oregon to Tennessee next week. I have massive nerve and joint pain along with auto immune hepatitis. I wasn’t thinking about the marijuana when I booked the ticket to see my friend. I am just officially starting to get a card, so I do NOT have a medical card. I prefer to use a vape pen with cartridges but would be willing to use anything at this point if it will give me a better chance of still being able to go. Without it I cannot independently travel. I have scanned through the posts and wonder what form of marijuana is safest to travel with if you don’t want to get caught. Seriously, I have 4 kids. Also, what are good ways any one has dealt with cartridges. Can anyone share about coming and going out of the Knoxville airport? TIA!
jxrx says
I flew from Denver to DFW Texas the 5th of July, busy travel day, with about 400mg of medicated chocolate, two vape pens and a battery for it. I just had a backpack since I was only in town for one day. The chocolates I put in ziplock baggies, I made sure I ate some before going thru TSA, for courage, and put in the main pocket, the vape cartridges in the front small pocket along with pens and random electronics, mp3 player and phones. I also brought back empty bottles from the bud I had smoked in town and other random weed packaging. Funny thing was, my bag was searched before I left Dallas Forth Worth Texas to go to Denver, only because of the wires from my headphones!!!! So on the way back from Denver, I kept the headphones on my neck, no problems. I’ve never been brave enough to bring weed, but this time when I come home from Denver, I’m going to try and bring wax/butter with me along with what I did last time. I feel like it’s really medicine for me. And I live in the bible belt, Texas, so I’m screwed probably if discovered, but I don’t care, it’s worth the risk for meds I can’t get here in Texas.
Grandpappy B says
I flew from SFO to LAX with edible chocolate in my carry on bags. No one even gave me a second thought as I passed through security with a smile on my face.
May says
I’ll be flying in two days from Portland to Seattle with 7g of weed. And then from Seattle to NYC with what is left after the weekend. Thinking in stuck it in rolled up pairs of socks in my carry on luggage. I’m not a medical card holder. Just hope it works!!
OaklandMofo says
Hi May,
I live in Portland now(moved up from Oakland) and it is legal here.
It is also legal in Washington so flying from here to there with weed is actually just a thing people do now. The TSA isn’t even looking for it. Well, they kind of never really are. They look for explosives and the likes.
I would still use a smell proof bag for the dank in your socks but yes that should work.
It shows up as invisible on the TSA scanner.
Gmom says
Where do you get a smell proof bag? I’m in Washington State.
Thank you
JD says
I recently flew from Sacramento to Maui, Hawaii with almost 2 ounces and a bunch of edibles. I wasn’t intending on taking that much, but it was my wedding night, and we went straight to the airport afterwards. A friend gave me almost 2 ounces. Instead of tossing it I decided to take it. All I did was break it up in 1/8-14 bags in ziplock bags, and had them in random pockets of folded up clothes. It was my check in luggage. My carry on had several brownies cookies, and wax. No issues whatsoever. I was paranoid like crazy, but wasn’t an issue at all. Leaving Hawaii I had an ounce and edibles that I brought back with me. This time I had it on my carry on, in clothes again. While waiting in line a dog came through, checking everyone. My heart raced, but the dog kept moving along. Come to find out they are only trained to sniff bomb/explosives, not drugs. So, taking it to Hawaii AND back was zero issues.
Going to New York from Cali in a few weeks, have a layover in North Carolina. I was planning on taking a 1/4 with me. Hopefully no problems will arise.
kerry says
I was going to travel to Oahu and thought about bringing 10 Korova black weed edible bars with me. Do you suggest putting them in different packaging or keeping them in the sealed ones?
Steph says
We took ours out and put in a Ziploc, and then in a Tupperware. They said nothing. It was in with jerky and snacks for my kids. But now I am afraid because I hear they are making you take out foods??? Why for?
CabriniGreeny says
Oakland Mofo…
I followed your advice to the letter and was able to fly out of LAX without an issues. Thanks for the post/advice!
Brittanya says
Currently I live in Cali, and even if you don’t have a medical card, bud is not hard to find, I just bought an assortment of edibles (brownies and cookies). I want to fly with to give to my friends who live in NC where they don’t have the bomb kush and no one can find edibles(I’m an awesome friend right?). I was thinking I would put them in a gift box with a shirt, wrap it and pretend like it was a present. And then take it in my carry on. Do you guys think this will work, or does it look like I’m hiding something?
420 says
With all these crazy stories on here it’s obvious that weed makes you paranoid. I fly all the time in and out of 40 airports at least just this year. All you have to do is buy a bottle of aspirin or whatever you like and put the buds in the bottle with the pills put the cotton back in the bottle and put the lid back on and throw it in your backpack carry on. That’s it. No grinding, no rocket science, No BS. I haven’t been stopped one time EVER. Not even in Hawaii through their agricultural scanner. Look at the photos. Weed is organic right? just like the cotton in an aspirin bottle. No one cares people. Obviously if you are trying to take pounds of the stuff don’t bring it on a plane Send it FEDEX anonymously. They don’t check and they don’t care about your weed either. It’s crazy all the peeps on here way over thinking this. Quit complicating an easy situation. You should be more worried about Vapes which have to be taken apart and liquid in the liquid bag which by the way will leak like hell because of the compression. Your whole bag smelling like captainFuckingcrunch. Just do what I said and problem solved. Quit being paranoid.
Tara says
Hello,
I traveled from NJ to Mexico today. I had 2 vape pens, a bowl and about a dime bag worth of weed in my bag.
My bag never arrived at the airport. I was told that it will arrive tomorrow and the TSA possibly has it, I kinda got the run around. What is going to happen when I get back to the US? Will I get my bag tomorrow? I’M AFRAID! Thanks for any help.
OaklandMofo says
And THIS is why you do NOT put the weed, vape pens, edibles or anything in your CHECKED luggage. You only put it in your CARRY ON.
I couldn’t tell you what will happen but as I understand they do not let you put vape pens in the checked luggage because the batteries pose a threat and could explode. I’m guessing those set off a flag and got your bag jacked.
Let us know the outcome.
Iam says
Awhile back in April 2015 I brought a small amount like an 1/8 on a plane without much trouble. I put it it my carry on bag within my ‘Cosmetic’ bag stuffed in a package of bubble gum. Holy shit they searched my bag only to be concerned with the mouth wash container. I have since stopped traveling with mouthwash.
Round 2:
I was gonna be away again for over a week in a place where I don’t know anyone. I happened to have clean and empty lip balm tubes. Think Chapstick but never used. I took two of them and stuffed the shit out of them with my herb, took a little bit of existing lip balm on top to ‘cover it up’, and wrapped it with a home made label. This worked like a champ and will definitely used this method again.
I got the idea from a friend, he would take his deodorant stick all the way out of the plastic and then stuff the container and then put the deodorant back on top.
TheNorths says
We brought some back (about an 8th) from Vegas to St Louis via Dallas.
Put it in a dry bag, wrapped it in another dry bag, then put it in a dry box (we had been kayaking so had the dry bags). then put it in our checked luggage.
Got to STL, got our bag, went home. weed was gone & there was a nice note from TSA explaining that our bags had been gone through.
That was April ’14.
OaklandMofo says
Thanks for sharing your story!
This is why we never recommend putting it in checked bags.
You must bring it on your carry on because checked in baggage does get randomly searched by the TSA.
But it’s good to know in your case they just jacked it for themselves and you did not get in a ticket or fine.
HustleLife707 says
Hey what’s good oaklandmofo!! Yeah well I’m flying out of SF June 29 to Vegas for 4 days know people that have took small amounts on plan through socks and just putting rolled is in the medicine pill bottles stuffed with cotton balls and every time it’s been good. But my question I’m completely medically legal due to bad back injuries I’ve had. through work, so legal part no problem but I want to know what’s the best way or if possible to slip through with a half ounce at least because I’m a smoker and instead of hitting medical clubs when get there, I’d rather save money and have my own personal to keep me high for the 4 days I’m out there. So what do you think is the best way to bring that much and without grinding up buds. Thanks, rite on!!
Alex Dula says
This August I’m going to be going to Dublin, Ireland for about 3 months and was planning on trying to sneak 4 grams of BHO on the plane. What are the chances of me getting caught? and is the risk of getting caught lower for BHO since it’s more easily concealable? Should I bring less? I’m thinking if I put all 4 grams spread throughout my carry-on bag in chunks of .5 grams I’ll be good to go… Let me know what you guys think! I’ll take all of the suggestions I can get! Thanks!
Tex says
I just flew with a half ounce- took the guy from above’s advice and put it in a subway meatball sandwich (which felt really weird because I’m gluten intolerant and am just going to throw away a foot-long sub). I ground up the herb and compressed it into Saran Wrap and then just smashed it in there and re-wrapped the sandwich. The moment I blew threw airport security, I wish I had packed it with twice as much herb. I also had a sack of cookies con kief that came through in my carry on. TSA just doesn’t look at food.
I flew out of PDX so part of me knew that the worst case scenario would be having to call me ride to come back and pick up my sandwich if I got caught…. But I DIDN’T get caught and I’m glad I tried.
Good luck!
Iambuyingacar says
Flew from Westchester to Miami a few years ago. I was hired to drive a car back to New Jersey. I wasn’t gonna do it without the help of Maryjane. I bought a subway sandwich; opened it up; placed weed inside sandwich (in Baggie), closed up the package and walked through security with my lunch.
josh says
I just left Seattle and I took 6 joints and about 2 grams of weed with me. I put it in 3 zip lock bags and stuffed it in a sock. I had a knee brace around the sock too. I’m flying back to Las Vegas. I had no problems sneaking it through.
Max says
You’re the man, I’m browsing this because I need to do that in 6 hours. I gotta smuggle 6 blunts, I think I can pass my cartridges off no problem.
Josh says
I have flown all over the US with Marijuana, no problem. I even brought a half ounce of very high-grade cannabis into Mexico on a Chicago to Cancun flight so I could share the good stuff with my local friends here in Mexico.
In general, people are paranoid. TSA is not, I repeat NOT searching through your belongings for a little bit of weed. They are looking for explosive and firearms. I have flown from Mexico to Fort Lauderdale with Switchblades a couple times also, but those were placed into my checked luggage.
For weed, it’s simple. 1.) Remove from the bag, by dumping it into a tray or in a bowl. Don’t touch it. Wash your hands. 2.) Hold a brand new ziplock baggie open (with clean hands) and have another person place the weed into the bag without letting the weed touch the top or outside of the baggie. Seal the bag. 3. Place that baggie into another ziplock baggie and seal the bag. You now have a solid defense against the odor, and the scent is not anywhere on the outside of the bag. This helps prevent dogs from picking it up. 4.) Place into a 5th pocket or a pair of socks or in the tip of a pair of shoes inside your carry-on. End of story.
If you get caught somehow, take it and throw it in the garbage, apologize and say that you have a flight to catch. It’s a little weed, no harm no foul. Nobody wants to hold up security resources and make a big deal over a personal amount of marijuana. It’s becoming legal in so many states that it’s laughable to think that TSA really gives a shit or that you’ll end up in jail over an eighth-ounce of weed. Always put it in your carry on, if someone finds it, somehow, in your checked luggage, there’s a chance your checked luggage won’t make it or that it’ll cause a bigger problem. If they catch it in your carry-on at least you’re there in person to negotiate.
F*ck the TSA.
sacking916 says
That’s pretty damn funny cause I know someone who did the same exact thing on a flight to Cancun from SFO and we had absolutely no issues. I was tripping when we walked through the Cancun airport in Mexico and the search procedure was literally pressing a button and if it was green you kept on going and if it was red you got searched. The hotel in Mexico was harder to smoke weed at then getting the weed on the plane. Every time we smoked the hotel security extorted us for money or they’d snitch.
tiana h says
I have successfully smuggled a small amount of weed internationally this year from San Francisco, CA airport all the way to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam airport. I got pretty damn lucky because they didn’t even go through my checked bags. I just threw a few nugs in a tea jar. Although, I do not recommend putting any weed in your checked luggage because they do randomly go through those and that’s always a chance to some how get caught.
What I noticed is, they rarely go through your carry-on bags that you just run through the x-ray machines. I think the best way to smuggle some marijuana is put it inside of something not obvious and throw it in your bag. Weed is organic so it won’t show up as little nugs. They won’t even look at your carry-on unless you’re carrying something similar to weapons. Also, maybe have some pre-rolled joints and stuff it in a cigarette box?
RConca says
I do not recommend rolling joints and putting it in a cigarette pack. The TSA in the Burlington Vermont airport are insane and ridiculous when it comes to searching. On two occasions I’ve had TSA pull a pack of cigarettes out of my carry on, open the cigarette pack and and search through it, taking out individual cigarettes and examining them. I was thinking, seriously? This is fucking stupid. Meanwhile I had a small bag of week jammed into pair of socks rolled into a ball – they didn’t check that.
Genevieve says
You do not need a state issued card to fly out of SFO or OAK. Your prescription just needs to be immediately verifiable, which means the airport police will want to talk to your doctor.
420 says
Flew from San Diego to Hawaii. I threw my nugs in one of my pill bottles in my carry on and had no problems at all. Husband forgot he had a joint in the cellophane of an open cigarette box nothing happened with him either. I like the pill bottle nugs it’s worked since then many times many states and airports.
Ben says
Just did it again From Vancouver To Las Vegas, Rolled a couple joints, stuffed them inside a few empty smokes and put them back in the pack with the rest. took a few tries to get the joints the perfect fit. but when I do I stuff a little tobacco in the ends and done. Kept them in my pocket the threw them in my carry on when I got my passport out for security so it didn’t have time to stink up the bag.
Also taping up your suitcase handle and throwing a joint in between the layers has worked. Its really not something they look for.
Erik says
Hey Ben. Do you think taking an edible or a couple of joint from Vancouver to Los Angeles would be tough?
Thanks dude!
Unknown says
I had an international flight with a stop in France. From California (lax)- France then to the Middle East. It was my first time. I had a edible but I was scared so I ate it before going in TSA search. I had a joint and I didn’t want to throw it away since I was already at the airport but I risked it and put it in my wallet. Worst case if I got caught I had my medical card at least with me. So I risked it and nothing happened thank god. They really don’t look for marijuana mostly weapons. Of course being logic and taking like 2-3 grams. I’ve also recently traveled in the Middle East (super illegal) with hashish and in my wallet and didn’t get caught.
stoned24/7 says
Okay I’m flying tomorrow from Cali back to Texas and we all know how Texas is about weed. Its my first attempt at smuggling weed on a plane and I was wondering how efficient the sock method is. Has anyone tried it and successfully made it??
AD says
Hey bro, just flew from New York to Miami with 2.5 grams of nug stuffed in 3 small sandwich bags inside my sock. My best advice would be to seal it well and then shove it in your sock to the point where the nug is between your shoe and where your foot arches. Tie your shoe tight and as long as you have no metal on you, you should be good. Luckily, I have TSA pre so they don’t make me remove shoes, but I don’t the protocol for those who don’t have TSA pre. I was even randomly selected for a search, they searched every where besides the inside of my shoe. – AD
jxrx says
I flew from Denver to Dallas with edible chocolates and vape pens. I went through the TSA security twice because it was so easy and I needed a cig before my next flight. I’ve never transported weed buds but I always fly with edibles and vapes!!!
And I even smoked the vape pen inside the Denver airport. Got high no hassle.
stonedbpd says
Did you bring cartridges? I want to bring cartridges on my next flight, but I am concerned about the metal setting off the scanner… Any advice?
jxrx says
My suggestion is to just bring back edibles and wax, oh yeah and vape pens. It’s very easy to do, most of it looks just like food, and a vape pen?! I had no trouble coming back from Denver to Dallas Fort Worth with weed paraphernalia.
kiera says
So I have a similar situation, I just have a gram of bud but I’m going to Denver, from Dallas and i just wanna make sure that the TSA people in Dallas aren’t trying to crack down harder since it’s not very legal in Texas. I read that people have just been putting it in socks and having no problem but just needed to make sure.
Sam says
Hey guys I thought I would put my input in on this subject. So I’m 19 and had to fly from Richmond to Dallas to visit my dad cause my parents divorced and I knew being there alone with him would blow so I needed to bring some herb. I put about an 1/8 in a ziplock bag and hid it in a baby wipes container on my carry on suitcase. I successfully made it through security without any hiccup. Honestly it’s either that they don’t see it or don’t care about it. So obviously it’s not ideal to smuggle drugs but just saying it’s very easy and stress free.
Trippy says
I flew from Lima, Peru back to Miami, Florida without even realizing that in my suitcase, I had a huge nug just laying in there. I didn’t bring the suitcase as carry on tho. Nothing happened.
Curiousfema says
What about traveling from Burbank to Orlando, Florida? Has anyone carried their meds in the carry-on?
Steve castro says
As a frequent flyer due to work I would put it in the arc of my foot and put on a sock. The machines now used give 1 inch from the floor up of clearance space. I have tried it for personal use also. Buy a soda (dark like Coke or Pepsi) take a couple sips and put your weed baggy (remove most air as possible) and walk through. The x-rays look for metal or certain chemicals which weed does not have. And yes I have tried it going to MO also. Go in the longer lines, it helps because the guards want to work a bit faster than actually staring at your bags for your bud.
Jay says
Does it make any difference if I’m flying international? Also, is it smart to hide my weed( a gram or two) in my check-in luggage?
KC says
What if I bring a small amount back with me to Texas from Colorado and I put it n my bag under the plane not carry on? How do they check for that? Or how can I send weed in the mail ?
Carry On Wayne says
The thing with checking your bag under the plane is those do get randomly searched and shrubs can be physically found.
With Carry On it’s just one TSA Agents eyes for a quick moment and as you can see from the xray photos it’s very hard for them to see vegetation.
t allen says
I was recently stopped at the border checkpoint just east of El Paso Texas. I was “booked” for having a minuscule amount of medicinal marijuana($60 value and I was told that I was arrested). They told me Texas is a zero tolerance state. I was held at the checkpoint for 5 hours. They called local authorities but that agency declined to come down and arrest me. So in the end they took my pot and sent me on my way and apparently I was “un-arrested”. I called an El Paso attorney and she said I was lucky. She also said because airports and post offices are federal I could be in trouble there as well. She had heard of many cases where that was an issue.
OaklandMofo says
How did they find it? What was your methods?
Also this is what I meant by the TSA will not arrest you and they have to call the local PD who may not come at all and in most states if they do it’s a small ticket.
Terry says
I live on the border and have to say trying to bring across from Mexico is just asking for trouble and you can get a lot of it. The poster is fortunate to have just been held for five hours!
Don’t do it, buy it in the USA.
Mike says
They have drug dogs! I got busted at a BORDER PATROL stop on interstate 10 outside Yuma, Arizona. They try to bust people who drive from CA into AZ. The stop is not at the border, it’s just on the interstate, same as the one described outside El Paso.
jerry says
You were stopped in Van Horn. There is no way to smuggle weed outside of TX. There are border agents all over TX as its a border state, and drugs from Mexico get nabbed all the time. If you drove west of El Paso, you would come to the Santa Teresa Checkpoint in New Mexico. You will get arrested for the smallest amount. Sometimes at border checkpoints, they just wave you through. Consider yourself extremely lucky.
madi says
What’s the best way to get weed to Canada?
Angie says
I want to bring 2 grams on when I go to Washington state. I know it’s legal there like Colorado and in New Mexico we have medical laws. So I guess I would have to ask do you think if I roll it into a little baggy and stuck it in a rolled up pair of socks and then just stuck it at the bottom of my bag I’ll be safe to fly with it?