Good news for cannabis consumers traveling in Canada: You’ll soon be able to bring more than an ounce of cannabis through the nation’s airports.
Flying out of the country with cannabis—including to US states where the drug is legal—will remain prohibited.
Transportation Minister Marc Garneau announced this week that travelers flying within the country will be able to pack up to 30 grams of cannabis—a more generous amount than many consumers were expecting. Passengers are free to pack cannabis products in either their checked luggage or a carry-on, a Transport Canada spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.
The new policy kicks in on Oct. 17, as the nationwide cannabis market goes live.
The new policy isn’t for everyone. Flying out of the country with cannabis—including to US states where the drug is legal—will remain prohibited. (Bringing cannabis into Canada is illegal no matter how you enter the country.) And rules still forbid smoking or vaping cannabis at Canada’s airports.
Click to enlarge. (Elysse Feigenblatt/Leafly)
How much is 30 grams of cannabis? Most joints contain between a third of a gram and a full gram of cannabis—so the new limit allows for about 60 modestly sized pre-rolls. At more than an ounce (28.5 grams), the limit also exceeds nonmedical possession limits in a number of US states.
Officials are still working to finalize procedures around the new rule. The Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority, which oversees the nation’s airport screeners, has said it expects to iron out details in the coming days.
Ben Adlin is a Seattle-based writer and editor who specializes in cannabis politics and law. He was a news editor for Leafly from 2015-2019. Follow him on Twitter: @badlin
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