Tourists have also been warned that cannabis is still illegal in neighbouring countries and must not be transported across borders. Singapore, which has some of the world’s strictest drug policies, can arrest citizens for using drugs outside of the country as if they were consumed at home. Before weed was legalised in Thailand in June 2022, the country had some of the world’s harshest drug laws. Pheu Thai campaigned on banning the recreational use of marijuana, saying it poses health risks and could cause substance abuse issues among young people. If you don’t want to talk to your seatmate or hear someone else’s music the whole ride, this is the car for you.
The best advice for someone who wants to travel internationally with medical marijuana? You can find a variety of odor-proof storage products at your local head shop or online including discrete items such as a Smart Stash Pouch or Bomber Case. “Products/medications that contain hemp-derived CBD or are approved by the FDA are legal as long as it is produced within the regulations defined by the law under the Agriculture Improvement Act 2018,” a section states. This should apply to flying with oil cartridges for vaporizers, as long as the oil is hemp-derived.
- The same sort of law exists in Colorado, which can easily be found on the state’s website.
- Since cannabis was legalised, over 1.1 million Thai people have registered for licences to grow it and more than 6,000 weed dispensaries have popped up across the country, many with little quality control.
- It also proposes fines of up to 100,000 baht (€2,600) for advertising or marketing cannabis for recreational use.
- However, hemp-derived CBD products containing no more than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are permitted on flights.
- Riding the rails — it’s a beloved experience that many prefer to plane or car travel.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021 tasked the FRA with reviewing Amtrak’s routes and evaluating new long-distance options. It also proposes fines of up to 100,000 baht (€2,600) for advertising or marketing cannabis for recreational use. Last week, Thailand’s Health Minister Chonlanan Srikaew said he had recommended a draft bill to the Cabinet banning the recreational use of marijuana and reclassifying it as a controlled substance.
Our doctors are here to guide you each step of the way and consult with you online. Keep yourself informed of the most up-to-date state and federal laws to ensure that transporting medical marijuana to your destination is legal. The bottom line is that flying with medical marijuana poses weed on amtrak numerous legal risks. Leave your MMJ at home the next time you fly, or find an alternate form of transportation. Possession limits may also differ for visitors compared to residents of the state. In Oregon, a state resident with a medical marijuana card can possess up to 24 ounces.
With Thailand being the first country in Asia to legalise cannabis, it has also sparked a thriving weed tourism industry that many fear will be difficult to put a lid on. Anutin had promised that cannabis would be allowed only for medical use, but in practice the market was nearly unregulated. On the day of legalisation, more than 3,000 inmates held on cannabis charges were released. Within the year, the country’s weed industry was worth 28 billion Thai baht (€728 million) and by 2030 it was projected to reach 336 billion baht (€8.7 billion).
In a state where weed is decriminalized, possessing small amounts of cannabis — the amount of which depends on the specific state law — doesn’t typically result in jail or prison time, but instead carries a fine. In some states like Arizona, court rulings have made it so the “smell” of cannabis does not constitute probable cause for a search. So your best bet is to keep your cannabis sealed in a smell proof container, so that even if the police officer does find it, you’re carrying it legally. Whether you’re flying, taking a train, or driving, the most important thing you need to determine is whether weed is legal in the state you’re traveling to.
The Bottom Line on Traveling with Medical Marijuana
Just like smoking cigarettes indoors, or driving with open alcohol, there are limits to what you can do with your legally purchased cannabis. Once you’re driving from one city to another, all within a state that has legalized adult-use cannabis, the laws become less restrictive, though there are certain nuances to consider. While states with adult-use will typically allow drivers to travel with legal amounts of cannabis, it ultimately depends on where you’re traveling. When considering whether you’ll be flying with edibles, riding a bus with a vape pen, or driving with weed, the way to make the safest choice is by doing substantive research. Even for cannabis tourists flocking to states with well-established medical or adult-use (aka “recreational”) markets, there are still plenty of ways that an ill-informed decision can damper your pot pilgrimage. Experience the benefits of medical marijuana safely and legally in your home state by applying for your MMJ card with Leafwell.
Is weed still legal in Thailand? Here’s what tourists need to know as government u-turns
It might mean on a train, if you’re traveling across your state and looking to take your cannabis with you. It might even mean on an airplane, if you’re trying to travel between two states with legal cannabis laws. Many bus services have a similar policy in place, even when passengers are traveling within legal boundaries. On Greyhound buses marijuana, possession isn’t allowed, even if the entire route remains within the confines of a legal state. Things can get a little more complicated when you’re cruising up the Pacific Coast or through the Rocky Mountains in a rental car.
Even if a state offers reciprocity to out-of-state patients, that doesn’t give travelers free rein to cross state lines with legally purchased medical cannabis. Since cannabis is still federally classified as a Schedule I drug, medical marijuana patients can still put themselves in a risky situation when they’re under federal jurisdiction, such as at an airport or state borders. The requirements for obtaining a temporary medical marijuana license out of state differ by state, so don’t make any assumptions on reciprocity. Some states, such as Oklahoma, allow patients with a valid out-of-state medical marijuana card to obtain a temporary 30-day license to legally acquire medical marijuana products while visiting.
Cannabis: Thailand U-turns on legalisation after just 18 months
Take note of cannabis purchasing and possession limits — even in states with a full-fledged adult-use framework in place, the amounts will vary from state to state. Some counties and municipalities in legal states may have https://1investing.in/ more restrictive regulations than others, so check the laws for each county that is along your travel route. This will help you navigate where you can buy legal cannabis and whether you can lawfully carry or consume it.
This fall, Sierra Riddle queued up at security at Los Angeles International Airport with a tincture bottle of THC oil — the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — in her purse. There’s a number of different train companies operating in the United States, but the biggest and most commonly used is Amtrak. Unlike many other railway companies, like the BNSF Railway, Amtrak states their policy towards cannabis directly on their website. If you are ever stopped by the police and asked about cannabis, it’s important to know that you have the right not to respond. Just make sure to cooperate with the necessary processes of a traffic stop, such as presenting your license and registration. Even though 30 states have already legalized some form of cannabis, flying from one legal state to the next with cannabis often exists in a sort of legal grey zone.
For instance, some rental car companies have a policy in place to charge you with cleaning fees if the car smells like weed upon return. According to customer service representatives at Hertz rental car at LAX, the company charges a $300 fee when a returned vehicle contains the smell of marijuana. These potential fines will vary by agency and state, so consult with your rental car company about the penalties before you decide to bring weed along for the ride. As thousands of commuters make this type of trek each day along the West Coast, is it likely that federal agents will be saddled up at the border between two legal states waiting for unsuspecting drivers with pot in the car? Michael Cindrich, a San Diego-based marijuana attorney and founder of the Law Offices of Michael E. Cindrich APC, has never heard of a case where someone was prosecuted for bringing cannabis across the border of two legal states. He has, however, witnessed scenarios where drivers in California end up on a road that stretches across federal lands or parks, suddenly (and sometimes unwittingly) putting them under federal jurisdiction.
But the TSA is not the only organization you have to answer to when you fly. Some major airlines like American Airlines have banned all marijuana (including medical use) from flights. In accordance with such regulations, you are not permitted to travel with even one gram of medically prescribed cannabis.
If you are caught with cannabis by a TSA agent, their typical policy is to contact local law enforcement officials for the airport, as a TSA spokeswoman tells USA Today. But if this happens to you in certain legal-cannabis states like California, you won’t suffer any repercussions, since cannabis is not illegal there. Instead, you’ll likely be given options to either throw it out, store it, or hand it off to a friend who isn’t flying.
This doesn’t just pertain to recreational marijuana, but also the legal status of medical marijuana and hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD). For instance, some states allow out-of-state medical marijuana patients to obtain temporary licenses to purchase from dispensaries through reciprocity policies, while others don’t. Other Asian nations, including China, impose similar harsh penalties on people who bring marijuana across their borders. Even in countries where medical marijuana is legal, like the Netherlands, there is a fine line between medical and recreational use, with the latter decriminalized but not legal. If you’re traveling in Holland with more than five grams of cannabis and lose your MMJ card, you may be penalized.
Give yourself ample time to scope out the medical marijuana laws ahead of the trip, as you may need to apply for a temporary medical marijuana card, a process that could take an extended amount of time to complete. Hawaii, for example, will accept applications up to 60 days ahead of your travel date and the Department of Health notes applications are reviewed in the order received and can’t be expedited. Be sure to review the marijuana laws and regulations of the medical state you plan to visit ahead of your trip. Most importantly, make absolutely sure you have your medical cannabis card with you at all times. Possessing cannabis without a card could land you in deep trouble, especially if you’ve left your home state.