Can You Travel with Medical Marijuana

Updated October, 2024

Doctors can now prescribe cannabis to help manage many illnesses. With the proper accreditation and diagnosis, you can use medical marijuana to help deal with the effects of multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease, among other debilitating conditions. For people living with these illnesses, keeping a supply of medical cannabis is essential for managing their symptoms.

If you’re living in a state that has legalized medicinal marijuana, like Missouri, it’s easy to replenish your supply. You can go to a dispensary and get your prescription’s worth of medical cannabis.

But what if you have to leave your state? Is it safe to bring your supply of legal marijuana?

Traveling Out of State – Transporting Cannabis across state lines

When you need to leave the state for any reason, forewarned is forearmed. Before you buy a ticket or set foot in your car, research the state you’re going to visit and check their laws regarding marijuana use. At the very least, make sure that the use of medicinal marijuana is legal in your destination.

If you travel to a state that doesn’t allow the use of cannabis even for medicinal purposes, authorities can arrest you for possession even if you are registered in your home state. Federal authorities also exercise this power once the marijuana crosses state lines.

Generally speaking, you shouldn’t bring a supply of medical marijuana with you when you cross from one state to another. Even if you travel to a state that recognizes registration and cards issued by your home state, you’ll have to register at your destination state and purchase your supply from them.

Once you’ve done your research on the legality of marijuana in your destination, you should make certain you can travel there by car if possible.

The Perils of Planes

The United States has not yet legalized medicinal marijuana on the federal level. As such, federal agencies do not recognize any state’s marijuana laws. ; Any property that falls under federal jurisdiction is subject to these laws, and these include airports and airplanes.

Security personnel in these areas can detain and arrest patients, even if they have the proper paperwork. Although some airports allow patients who carry the correct registration papers and documents to board, the risk of getting arrested for trafficking makes air travel untenable as a transport option.

Private transportation companies, such as bus lines and trains can expel any passenger if they are aware that said passenger is carrying cannabis, even if the supply is for medical purposes.

Because of all these restrictions, your best transportation option is a private car. However, you should still be aware of how much marijuana you can safely transport.

Despite these hurdles, patients who need medical marijuana can still enjoy trips and out-of-state vacations. You just need a little more coordination and planning to resume traveling.

Can You Travel in the U.S. With Medical Marijuana by Car?

In 2021, recreational and medical marijuana use is legal in many U.S. states; however, is it possible to travel with medical marijuana?

Marijuana has been decriminalized in various parts of the United States for medicinal or recreational purposes. Nonetheless, marijuana remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. This creates an issue when it comes to transporting your cannabis from one U.S. state to another.

So can you travel with medical marijuana? The answer is complicated, and ultimately comes down to the laws regarding cannabis of both the state you’re traveling into and the state you’re leaving from— as well as other factors such as nation borders, airlines rules and regulations etc. In this article we’ll discuss how you can safely travel with medical marijuana in the United States without any potential legal ramifications.

Join the Journey

Latitude Dispensary is a supplier of premium medicinal cannabis in Osage Beach, Missouri. We offer different strains of cannabis and can find the right bud to enrich your life.

Questions about our Dispensary? Call 573-889-309 1 or visit us in Osage Beach Parkway.

 

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