Can you fly with weed in Canada?

Cannabis has been legal in Canada in 2018, but you might be wondering what exactly the laws are when it comes to transporting cannabis on an airplane. This article will help you understand the laws around air travel with weed, and hopefully help you bring the best bud with you wherever you go within Canadian borders! 

When was cannabis legalized in Canada?

On October 17th 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis on a federal level. Possession, home growing, and sales to adults were all part of the legalization process. Canada did this by dismantling key aspects of the criminal code of Canada that has maintained prohibition for ninety five years! Canada was only the second country to legalize cannabis after Uruguay!

Each province was made responsible for implementing their own regulations. For example, Quebec and Manitoba originally banned home cultivation altogether. You can buy fresh or dried cannabis, cannabis oil, plants, and seeds for home cultivation from a provincial or territorial regulated retailer or a federally licensed producer. 

What are the laws around possession in Canada?

You can possess up to 30 grams of dried legal cannabis and share up to 30 grams of legal cannabis and other legal cannabis products with other adults. It is also possible to cultivate up to four plants at home per household. If you like, you can also prepare various cannabis products such as edibles at home for personal use, provided no dangerous organic solvents are used in the process. 

Basically, cannabis is treated similarly to alcohol. 

How much weed can I fly with?

Transport Canada has set the limit to 30 grams either in your carry-on bag or your checked luggage. 30 grams is actually quite a high amount, depending on how long of a trip you’re going on! 

When you’re packing for your trip, consider where you want to put your cannabis. Although it is legal, other travellers might be bothered by the smell, so consider using air-tight containers. Another way to lessen the smell is to vacuum seal your cannabis or simply put it into your checked bag.  Making sure to continue to be discreet could prevent unnecessary scrutiny being placed on you while you’re travelling.

Can I go through airport security with cannabis?

As long as you’re under the 30 gram limit, you can take your cannabis through airport security in domestic terminals. Similar to cigarettes, you should be able to leave the cannabis inside your carry-on bag and have it get through security with limited issues.

Be cautious, because travelling with cannabis in large amounts might draw more careful scrutiny. If you have exactly the maximum, you may have to move to speak with security about the contents of your bag to ensure you are not transporting more than the legal amount. The Canadian Travel Security Agency has evolving procedures so you can always check their website to make sure that you’re within the legal limits. 

Can I smoke cannabis at Canadian airports?

Most airports now have areas where you can smoke cannabis, frequently the same location where you can smoke cigarettes. However, cannabis smoking is often more limited. For example, at the Vancouver airport, you can smoke cannabis at smoking sections in the upper part of the airport. The lower part, however, has cigarette smoking sections where cannabis is not allowed. Each major airport has their own regulations around how cannabis is treated, so if it is important to you to smoke before a flight, double check on the airport’s website! 

Can I travel internationally with cannabis?

The most important thing to remember about travelling with cannabis in Canada is that cannabis is only legal on domestic flights. It is still illegal to transport cannabis over international borders. Especially when you’re travelling to countries that have draconian cannabis laws, be very careful about what is in your luggage. 

Sometimes when you travel frequently inside Canada, you might forget some cannabis inside your bag by accident. Then, if you travel across an international border and your bag gets searched, you could get into trouble with that nation’s law force. You absolutely do not want this to happen so make sure that you always thoroughly clean your bags out before travelling. 

Can I travel to Washington State with cannabis if I live in BC?

Even though cannabis is legal in both of these places, it is not a good idea to travel between these two places with cannabis. The United States actually issued a statement when Canada legalized cannabis stating that people caught travelling from Canada to the US with cannabis could be denied entry or even banned from the US for life! Under federal US law, cannabis is still illegal. Travelling to a state where weed is legal does not change the federal law, unfortunately. So at this time, it is still illegal to transport cannabis across the Canada-US border.