A new memo to Air Force personnel in Massachusetts warns that not only marijuana but also hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD and delta-8 THC, are prohibited on military bases and related properties.
The Department of the Air Force issued the January 27 memo to military members and staff at Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB), which is located between Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. It warns that people violating federal drug laws “are subject to barment, fines and imprisonment”—although hemp-derived products, unlike marijuana, are actually federally legal.
“In accordance with federal law and Department of Defense (DoD) policy, no individual may use, possess, distribute, or introduce marijuana on Hanscom AFB,” says the memo, signed by Air Force Commander Col. Jorge Jimenez. “This includes the use, possession, distribution, or introduction of products containing or derived from hemp, including but not limited to delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-8 THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).”
“While Massachusetts law may permit possession and use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, these actions are still illegal under federal law,” the document continues. “As a military installation, Hanscom AFB is a federal jurisdiction where federal law is enforced.”
Marijuana and its chief psychoactive component, delta-9 THC, remain illegal Schedule I controlled substances under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Hemp-derived cannabinoids, however, such as CBD and delta-8 THC, were legalized through the 2018 Farm Bill, though they remain largely unregulated at the federal level.
“The important take away [sic] for military members, federal employees, contractors, dependents, literally anybody who tries to come on base needs to remember, you can’t have or use marijuana, CBD, or THC, according to the 66th Air Base Group Legal Office,” wrote Capt. Adam Livermore in a post on the Hanscom AFB website.
“Products such as cannabidiol, commercially known as CBD, and synthetic marijuana products, including delta-8 THC, are sold widely as supplements,” the post says. “These products are not regulated for accuracy or consistency.”
The memo notes that despite the Air Force ban on consumable hemp-derived cannabinoids, the prohibition “does not apply to the use of durable goods containing hemp, such as clothing.”
It does not mention other hemp products consumed for nutritional reasons, such as hemp seeds or hemp milk, which typically contain only trace levels of cannabinoids, if any.
In addition to the Hanscom Air Force Base itself, the prohibition on marijuana and hemp products also includes FamCamp, Sagamore Hill, Patriot Golf Course and the Fourth Cliff Annex, according to the new memo.
The Department of Defense and military branches have repeatedly warned service members and other military personnel that they’re prohibited from using cannabis products. In 2022, for example, the Air Force expressed concern that even using CBD-infused hand sanitizer or hemp granola could inadvertently compromise “military readiness.”
“The DoD and Service-level policies prohibit Service members from eating and using products made or derived from hemp to include CBD no matter the claimed or actual THC levels,” that notice said. “This policy is necessary to ensure military readiness while securing the reliability and integrity of the drug testing program.”
It listed various other banned items, including gummies, oils, acne treatments, bath bombs, hemp granola, protein powder, yogurt, shampoo and hand sanitizer.
One of the first attempts by the U.S. military to communicate its cannabis ban came in the form of a fake press conference in 2019, where officials took scripted questions that touched on hypotheticals like the eating cannabis-infused burritos and washing cats with CBD shampoos. That was staged around the time that DOD codified its rules around the non-intoxicating cannabinoid.
After its initial 2019 announcement, the department more broadly reaffirmed that CBD is off limits to service members in notices published in 2020.
About one year after hemp was federally legalized, the Air Force sent out a notice that similarly warned against using CBD products that are commonly found on the market. A Massachusetts base of the Air Force told pilots last year that they could face disciplinary action for possessing any type of hemp product, even if it’s “for your pet.”
Officials with the military branch also said the previous year that it wants its members to be extra careful around “grandma’s miracle sticky buns” that might contain marijuana.
The Navy, for its part, issued an initial notice in 2018 informing ranks that they’re barred from using CBD and hemp products no matter their legality. Then in 2020 it released an update explaining why it enacted the rule change.
The Naval War College has gone so far as to warn sailors and Marines about new hemp products on the market, issuing a notice warning members of a Pepsi-owned Rockstar energy drink that contained hemp seed oil.
The Coast Guard said that sailors can’t use marijuana or visit state-legal dispensaries.
A factor that may have influenced these policy updates is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2019 release of guidance to federal agency drug program coordinators that outlined concerns about THC turning up in CBD products and causing failed drug tests. The agency issued an updated warning in 2020 after several more states voted to legalize marijuana.
Separately, a general in 2022 said that the Air Force and Space Force were reviewing marijuana policies and considering a “common sense” change that could give potential recruits a pass if they test positive for cannabis.
As for military veterans, meanwhile, a GOP congressman recently reintroduced a bill aimed at providing veterans with access to medical marijuana.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, filed the Veterans Equal Access Act last week—the latest attempt to enact the measure that’s enjoyed bipartisan support over recent sessions but has yet to become law.
The bill would allow government doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend medical marijuana to their patients in states where it’s legal. They department would not provide cannabis, however, and veterans would use those recommendations to access it under existing state-legal dispensaries.
“Our veterans—regardless of whether their state has legalized medical marijuana—are currently prohibited from participating in medical marijuana programs,” Mast told Marijuana Moment. “As more states move toward legalization, VA physicians in these states should have the freedom to consider medical marijuana as a treatment option.”
VA doctors are currently allowed to discuss medical cannabis with patients, but they’re not specifically authorized to issue recommendations, even in states that have legalized the plant for medical or recreational use.
A new memo to Air Force personnel in Massachusetts warns that not only marijuana but also hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD and delta-8 THC, are prohibited on military bases and related properties. The Department of the Air Force issued the January 27 memo to military members and staff at Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB), which is Read More
