Flying with weed: What you need to know after Gigi Hadid got caught out in the Cayman Islands

Any traveller who’s availed themselves of the delights offered by America’s burgeoning legal cannabis industry will be able to sympathise with Gigi Hadid. Last month, the 28-year-old supermodel was arrested at an airport in the Cayman Islands when officials found “ganja and utensils used for the consumption of ganja” in her luggage after she disembarked her private plane.

Despite the fact the products had been purchased legally with a medical licence in New York, and the fact cannabis has been legal for medical use in Grand Cayman since 2017, Hadid was fined $1,000 before being released to continue her holiday – without her weed.

Now that cannabis is legal for recreational use in 23 US states (plus Washington DC) and for medical use in 38 states (and DC), it might be tempting for flyers to think they’re allowed to travel with weed as long as it’s legal at both ends of their journey, but this is not the case.

Air travel in the United States is governed by federal law, which still considers cannabis a schedule-one narcotic with “no accepted medical use”. Until there’s a change in the law at the federal level, taking any amount of cannabis across state lines remains very much illegal.

If you think it’s frustrating to have to leave your trusty vape behind before boarding, spare a thought for cannabis growers. The continuing federal ban means legal farmers in different states can’t trade product, which has led to weed surpluses in certain places, such as Oregon and Washington, and scarcity in others.

However, while the law prohibiting travelling from state to state with cannabis is pretty clear-cut, enforcement does vary and, in practice, it’s unlikely the feds are going to spend too much time worrying about the THC gummies in your carry-on. The official policy at LAX in Los Angeles is that you’re perfectly fine to have up to 28.5g of cannabis in the airport – but not while trying to go through a security checkpoint.

If you’re found with weed while going through TSA anywhere in the country, it will almost certainly be confiscated, and you may be turned over to local law enforcement. They could then involve the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), especially if the amount of cannabis…