Looking for the best smell proof travel bag to fly with medical cannabis from the UK?
Flying/ Traveling With Medical Cannabis FAQ
Here I bring you another article covering one of my most asked questions to help shed light on the ins and outs of travelling with your medical cannabis, as well as a secure smell proof bag to keep things organised and low key.
Intro
Hey, i'm Rowan! I'm the owner and lab geek behind the scenes here at Infinity CBD as well a medical cannabis consultant working in this ever expanding industry. Alongside this, i've also been a medical cannabis patient myself since 2020 so have seen it all from both sides.
Today I aim to break down one of the most common questions I get asked by customers and cover what's involved when travelling with medical cannabis. Whether that's what you need documents wise, or what is in my opinion the best bag for getting everything organised, discrete and secure for when out and about.
Those of us who are medical cannabis patients have to carry our original packaging with us, which at times can be somewhat cumbersome, especially with some packages coming with an external box now etc.
Another major factor to consider when out and about is the smell. Whether its from the flower packaging, your dry herb vape after use or your grinder and other components. Though the smell doesn’t both everyone, it is great to be able to completely block this out when needed for traveling, or in situations where you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. Though you are legal as a patient, we still see and hear about instances of misinformed security at venues, police and others who have ended up over reaching due to misunderstanding the law and as such, anything that helps remove the chance of these issues in my eyes is a bonus.
I am in no way promoting the use of these bags to hide illegal drugs, but simply to make life a little easier whilst out and about or taking a flight somewhere to keep everything secure, in one place, lockable and smell proof.
So what do you need when you fly with legal medical cannabis?
Here in the UK you are required to carry your original prescription packaging including the label, and accompanying ID to prove who you are.
Day to day this is what I carry on me as I am able to produce digital copies on my phone and additional information if requested. However when traveling internationally things are a little more involved.
Firstly you want to find out what is required in your destination country and any stop over location. You may be required to request permissions from their embassy or similar, or it may well be completely illegal. Either way this is what you need to check because you don’t want to end up being arrested, or if you are able to bring your medication but need approval you want to ensure you give them enough time to receive your application and process it which can take a while!
Flying with medical cannabis? What you need to know!
Can you take your prescription to your destination countries legally?
Just because you are a legal patient here in the UK doesn't mean you can take your medication anywhere. Futhermore, just because a country also has medical cannabis friendly laws, doesn't mean that it's as simple as turning up with your UK documents. So it's important to check with your destination country and any lay over countries what they require as you may need to request permissions ahead of time.
Do you have everything on hand and ready to legitimise your medication?
Being bustled through an airport isn't always the smoothest process, so being prepared makes a big difference. This is why it's important to be prepared and have a bag suitable for organising, carrying and keeping your controlled medications secure. Using a carbon lined smell proof bag for your medical cannabis is a great way to do this! We have taken this exact bag through multiple airports over the years and it's been great.
Carbon Lined
Complete Odour Control
Secure Lock
Child Friendly & Secured
Fits 30g+
Ample space and organisation
Top Pick!
Firedog Carbon Lined Smell Proof Medical Cannabis Bag
Features
- Carbon lined for odour control
- Thick seal to ensure containment
- Quality materials and stitching made to last
- Secure 3 digit pinwheel lock
- Strap perfect for hanging dosing capsule caddies
- Interior pockets for paperwork, grinder, chargers etc
- Perfect fit in any laptop bag.
What I regularly fit in mine:
- 2-3 10g flower pouches or 2 pouches + a tub
- Venty + Charger
- Storz and Bickel Grinder
- Driving License/ Passport
- Print outs of prescription paperwork and embassy forms
- 2 x dosing capsule caddies hanging of strap, one for fresh doses one for used capsules on the go.
Traveling with cannabis what to expect in the airport?
From my experience? Not a lot! I have flown both domesitcally and internationally with my medical cannabis. Having been organised with my paperwork ahead of time I was prepared as expected for stops to verify my medication. However despite them seeing/ checking the medication through xrays, they have never questioned me.
From my experience and those I speak to, this is a common experience as thankfully airport staff seem to be up to date with trainining. However if you do get stopped and checked, you have nothing to worry about as long as you have the correct paperwork.
What paperwork do you need to fly?
This will vary slightly, as you have the paperwork you are required to be able to present as a UK medical cannabis patient, and then may need additonal paperwork from the arrival country depending on their specific requirements.
At a minimum you need:
1. Prescription in original packaging with prescription label attached and legible.
2. ID matching the name on the prescription, your passport is most likely in this case but day to day a driving license is perfectly fine.
3. It cant hurt to have print outs of the specific prescription slips for the meds you are carrying.
4. Clinic travel letter. This outlines that you are their patient, your medication schedule and what you will be carrying with you.
Additional requirements:
Destination countries may have additional requirements. It's important to note that any stop over countries laws also need to be verified. Do not make the mistake of not checking a lay over only to find that you can be put in prison there for cannabis there regardless of your legal status at home!
Countries that require additional information will typicaly require you submit proof ahead of the time in order for them to give you an exemption or travel status. This can usually be found out via the embassy or by asking your clinic directly.
Can I vape medical cannabis at the airport before my flight?
In my experience, yes as long as they have a designated smoking/ vaping area. Though in certain circumstances i'm certain reasonable adjustments may be able to be put in place to assist you if there aren't suitable facilities.
This has been a major change for me during traveling as the long hours and upheaval can cause me issues for my condition. So being able to maintain my regular medication routine without interuption has assisted in making travel far easier for me. So being able to pop out and use my Venty whilst waiting in departures has been a surreal and greatly appreciated.
So with that said, traveling with medical cannabis as a legal UK patient has never been easier. With it's professional look akin to a laptop bag, premium odour control and lockable features it has never let me down. Even when I have freshly used my Venty, I can place it straight back in the bag and return to work/ into the airport with no residual odours.
The fact it can also carry paperwork, additional tablets and accessories is just whole other level that this size bag brings that gives me peace of mind that no matter whether i'm in the airport or walking down the street that I have everything I need on hand for peace of mind.
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