Even if I were regular cannabis user (I am not, but have no moral issues with those who are unless they are driving a forklift or doing something else risky while impaired), I would not take it on a domestic flight knowing that it is still illegal under federal law. So it’s interesting that TSA has said publicly that they are not looking for it. If they happen to find it, say, because you packed it in the same bag as a weapon you were trying to smuggle on to a plane, they are just supposed to notify local police.

If the federal government really wants to, they can prosecute you as a drug trafficker even for transporting a tiny cannabis from one state where it is 100% legal to another state where it is 100% legal. The penalty for this as a first offense can be 5 years in jail and $250,000. It seems unlikely they would do this, but is a risk worth taking? If they are after you for some other reason and you happen to have committed this offense, it seems like they could use this charge as a major bargaining chip to secure your cooperation.

Now, on international flights, I really would not take it. For example, last time I went to Singapore (around a decade now) they still had that sign in baggage claim that says “death to drug dealers”. Let’s say I had a substance in my backpack in the past that was 100% legal in the time and place I purchased it, and let’s say a drug sniffing dog at a foreign airport can still detect that today. At a minimum this seems likely to increase your chances of getting searched, hassled, and having your time wasted when traveling.

What’s REALLY risky, of course, from a health perspective, is consuming a pill or other substance when you don’t know for sure exactly what it is, what the dose it, or where it came from. This alone is a reason to legalize almost everything, in my view. Then add to that all the violence that has occurred on U.S. streets and on both sides of the border to supply products that are obviously in high demand. Add in the racial biases that cause people to be treated differently. The war on drugs is just a dumb failure. Let’s end it. Legalize, tax, and make addiction and substance abuse a problem for the health care system (oh, the U.S. should really get itself one of these!)