Medical marijuana

Hi! I will be traveling to Alaska with my young nephew who has epilepsy. He is currently being medicated with CBD to control his seizures. It is especially important now because he is weaning of a nasty drug that has been giving him terrible side effects. The CBD is supposed to control any seizures as he weans off the drug. I know marijuana is on their list of prohibited items but in this situation, is this something they would allow? Thanks!

You should call DCL about this. I suspect that the answer will be "No," but you need to hear it from them. I don't know what Alaska law is concerning the issue, but in general, "prohibited" means just that.

Well, given that the ships are registered in the Bahamas, which have very strict laws regarding marijuana, and where medical marijuana is not legal, I doubt the ship will allow it. Alaska requires registration of medical marijuana users, so I don't know what their policy is towards visitors requiring medical pot.

Know that the ship, as a foreign flag vessel, is governed by the laws of the flag state, the Bahamas, not the US, and even while in a US port, US law in many cases takes a back seat to flag state law while onboard.

CBD oils contain little to no THC, the psychoactive component, and are therefore classified more as hemp than marijuana. This is why they have found common application to treating epilepsy in children - it can calm neurological issues without making young patients "high". I have heard that their use and transport are legal in all 50 states.

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Marijuana is now legal in Alaska for recreational use, so the only issue you will have will be with the cruise line. I would give them a call about their policy. Hopefully it won't be a problem for you since it's a medical issue.

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CBD oils contain little to no THC, the psychoactive component, and are therefore classified more as hemp than marijuana. This is why they have found common application to treating epilepsy in children - it can calm neurological issues without making young patients "high". I have heard that their use and transport are legal in all 50 states.

 

 

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Well, the Alaska State Marijuana Control Board has voted to consider all CBD products as marijuana, and as recently as Feb 2017 seized CBD products from recreational marijuana shops, since the products containing CBD did not follow the "seed to sale" tracking as other marijuana products.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjm9ZiUoJfUAhWI7BQKHfYTAH4QFggsMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adn.com%2Falaska-marijuana%2F2017%2F03%2F05%2Fwhat-is-cbd-and-why-it-was-seized-from-alaska-marijuana-shops%2F&usg=AFQjCNEXLaqtXR8za2UuDFcRdO1p7tzlkQ

Marijuana is now legal in Alaska for recreational use, so the only issue you will have will be with the cruise line. I would give them a call about their policy. Hopefully it won't be a problem for you since it's a medical issue.

 

 

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However, the use of marijuana in public places, and by minors is still illegal in Alaska.

Thanks for the input guys. What a mess, my nephew was just diagnosed 3 months ago and was just put on CBD a few weeks ago. This was way after we booked the cruise. Am completely at a loss as to what to do:(

Thanks for the input guys. What a mess, my nephew was just diagnosed 3 months ago and was just put on CBD a few weeks ago. This was way after we booked the cruise. Am completely at a loss as to what to do:(

Call the Disney special needs department to see what you need for the ship, and call the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board to see what is needed in Alaska.

The issue may not be when you booked the cruise, but how far out you are from embarkation and whether you purchased travel insurance.

While marijuana might be legal where you are, it is still against federal laws. Unfortunately, you will not be allowed to board with it, if you could even get it to the port.

While marijuana might be legal where you are, it is still against federal laws. Unfortunately, you will not be allowed to board with it, if you could even get it to the port.

This, transporting across state lines is still a federal offense.

A complicated issue indeed. My heart goes out to Mariea11 and her family. I have seen the documentaries featuring children with epilepsy that had not responded well to conventional treatment finally finding respite from seizures with CBD oil. It made me bawl my eyes out, over and over - it certainly changed my perspective and made me look into things a little deeper, but apparently not deep enough. I hope this can work out for you.

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Thank you everyone, I hope so too :o

Is he on epidialex? That is the trade name for the CBD oil used in pediatric epilepsy treatment. If so his doctor did a ton of paperwork to get the epidialex approved fro use and it is shipped from the company. In this scenario it is a prescribed medication in a bottle with a prescription label and I cannot imagine anyone looking at it twice.

If it is CBD oil in a carry on with other medications, I doubt anyone would even notice. The major and most severe hurdle is taking it to Canada, where they take drug use extremely seriously. It could be a very devastating experience and nothing like a vacation at all. They can refuse entry to the country at the very least. Send people to jail at the worst. I recommend canceling your nephew's reservation if the medication is helping him that much.

While I know the situation is different, there is a post on the Bermuda forum that states someone was arrested for having Cannabis in Bermuda. They do take this seriously.

I think a bigger issue is how will you get it in to Canada?

Is he on epidialex? That is the trade name for the CBD oil used in pediatric epilepsy treatment. If so his doctor did a ton of paperwork to get the epidialex approved fro use and it is shipped from the company. In this scenario it is a prescribed medication in a bottle with a prescription label and I cannot imagine anyone looking at it twice.

That's the drug I found when looking it up. And just before that mention there was mention of a drug authorized in Canada back in 2005.

The OP isn't bringing plants. They are bringing a medication. That's an important distinction to make when finding info. A friend of mine uses the plant medicinally but does it in a way that looks like "drug use" (though it's legal here so it doesn't matter how she uses it). Her use isn't the same as this boy's.

IMO the parents need to talk to the doctor and find out about the legality of this medication everywhere.

And also look to getting a different medication for the cruise. Just in case.

Thank you everyone, I hope so too :o

Can I ask what happened?!?

If it is CBD oil in a carry on with other medications, I doubt anyone would even notice. The major and most severe hurdle is taking it to Canada, where they take drug use extremely seriously. It could be a very devastating experience and nothing like a vacation at all. They can refuse entry to the country at the very least. Send people to jail at the worst. I recommend canceling your nephew's reservation if the medication is helping him that much.

Slightly off topic but Canada???? perhaps.... but the reason I loathed Montreal and do not want to return to Canada at all, except maybe beautiful Quebec City, is due to the pervasive use and smell of pot all over that city. When we returned to our hotel near downtown Montreal we asked the concierge if it was legal to smoke pot because we smelled it everywhere. He said "not legal but....accepted". I will never go back. The only place in Montreal we did not see it was the old city area where it was basically tourists.