Miami International Airport Wants CBD Shop for “Anxious” Travelers

Retailers in Florida can legally sell CBD-infused products that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC.

By Alex DeLuca January 31, 2024

If your 9 a.m. airport beer is no longer doing the trick, or you need something to decompress after that tedious mile-long trek across Concourse D, Miami International Airport might finally have an answer.

The county-owned airport wants to open a CBD shop with hemp-based products like gummies, creams, bath bombs, and serums for anxious travelers and wellness enthusiasts alike. As first reported by the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade County recently posted a draft solicitation that calls for a CBD retail spot in the international hub, paving the way for a competitive bidding process.

“Travelers that are stressed, anxious, and are focused on their wellness are the target market for this shop,” the document reads.

Found in cannabis plants, CBD (cannabidiol) does not get you high, but is marketed as a treatment for anxiety, pain, and insomnia. Per state and federal law, CBD products can only contain an extremely small amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the primary compound in marijuana that gets you stoned.

Florida law allows retailers to sell CBD products that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC, with a permit required for food sellers.

According to the county document, the 1,052-square-foot airport shop would provide patrons with a “broad range of hemp-based tinctures, serums, edibles, supplements, topical treatments, bath bombs, sprays, and other beauty products.”

The type of CBD products to be sold in the shop are approved by the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) — meaning you can bring them on the plane.

“Marijuana and certain cannabis-infused products, including some cannabidiol (CBD) oil, remain illegal under federal law except for products that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis or that are approved by FDA,” according to the TSA.

The CBD shop solicitation was posted two weeks after Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who oversees the airport under the county’s aviation department, pledged major upgrades to the hub during a press conference.

The presser came just days after CBS Miami reporter (and New Times alum) Jim DeFede posed the following question in a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Is [Miami International Airport] the worst-run airport in America?”

“I’ve seen people in tears because their elderly relatives are forced to walk a mile from gate D60 to baggage claim,” DeFede wrote. “Where is the accountability?”

According to the Herald, roughly seven percent of MIA’s more than 600 elevators, escalators, and moving walkways are out of service on any given day.

During the press conference, Levine Cava addressed complaints over the 13-year-old Skytrain, which brings passengers through Concourse D. The train has remained out of service since it shut down in September over structural issues, forcing many passengers to walk as far as a mile to their gates or baggage claim.

Levine Cava announced the first repair phase for the Skytrain is slated to be complete by the end of March, which would bring roughly three-fourths of the train system back online. She said phase two is expected to be finished by the end of 2024.

“We have been righting the wrongs of the past and stepping up to make this airport the world-class success story it should be,” Levine Cava said.

Twitter: @alexldeluca

This article was originally published by the Miami New Times.