Airport scanners can detect weed, though not in the way you might think so.
Airport scanners are only able to create detailed images of your luggage that security personnel will then inspect more closely if they see something suspicious.
Based on the range of energy that passes through an airport scanner, images of your items will either come up as orange, green, or blue.
This represents organic material (orange), non-organic materials (green), or metals and hard plastics (blue/black).
On an airport scanner, the color orange represents any biological material.
This includes weed.
A TSA agent will pay particularly close attention to any item that shows up as orange on the scanner because explosives are often partly composed of organic materials like glycerin, and potassium nitrate.
Source: tsatestprep
What Edibles Look Like on an Airport Scanner
In this image showing what edibles look like on an airport scanner, you can see that edibles just look like any other food item on an airport scanner.
This is especially true if they are packaged like any other common food item.
If edibles are kept in their original packaging or have a strong smell, it can be a clear giveaway of the contents.
This is how passengers are usually caught when flying with edibles.
X-ray scanners use a form of electromagnetic radiation to create detailed images of the contents of your luggage.
When X-rays pass through your contents, contrasting shades in the X-ray image are generated.
As mentioned, because weed is organic material, it will come up as orange on the scanner.
2. Millimeter-Wave Scanners
That large portal-like machine that you stand in and then raise your hands is a millimeter-wave scanner.
Millimeter-wave scanners use extremely high-frequency radio waves to create distinct patterns in an image. Items concealed on the body or within your luggage will disrupt the waves and appear as anomalies.
So, if someone tries to hide weed in their clothing, they will get caught.
This millimeter wave scanner is used for detecting objects concealed underneath a passenger’s clothing
3. Backscatter Scanner
Backscatter scanners use low-intensity X-rays, similar to those used in medical imaging but at much lower levels.
Passengers or luggage pass between two panels, each that emit low-intensity X-rays from one side and detect the backscattered X-rays on the other side.
This produces a detailed image that security personnel use to identify concealed items like weed.
What a Backscatter X-ray sees
What Happens When An Airport Scanner Detects Weed
If an airport scanner detects weed, a TSA agent will confiscate the weed and report the passenger to local authorities.
If a TSA agent finds weed, they have a duty to report you
Keep in mind that the process and authorities’ involvement will depend on local state laws and airport ordinances.
Ella Dunham, a Freelance Travel Journalist and Marketing Manager, boasts an impressive career spanning eight years in the travel and tourism sectors.
Honored as one of "30 Under 30" by TTG Media (the world’s very first weekly travel trade newspaper), a "Tour Operator Travel Guru" and "Legend Award" winner, Ella is also a Fellow of the Institute of Travel, a Member of the Association of Women Travel Executives, has completed over 250 travel modules, and hosts travel-focused segments on national radio shows where she provides insights on travel regulations and destinations.
Ella has visited over 40 countries (with 10 more planned this year).
