Woman banned for life from Carnival Cruises over CBD gummies

One of the Carnival Cruise Line ships. Photo / Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Lines

A woman has been banned for life by Carnival Cruise Line after CBD gummies were discovered in her suitcase while boarding a cruise ship.

Melinda Van Veldhuizen, 42, was in Miami boarding the Carnival Horizon ship when security pulled her aside, Local 10 News reported.

According to Veldhuizen, who works as a nurse in Dallas, a pair of nail clippers set off the X-ray machine, prompting security to pull her aside.

While searching her bag, they discovered a pack of gummies that contained Cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD is a substance derived from cannabis and while it has “little-to-no psychoactive properties” according to the Ministry of Health, it has potential therapeutic value.

Veldhuizen, who has been on several cruises and had achieved priority boarding, said she legally purchased the gummies online to help her sleep and has never previously had issues when travelling with them.

Currently, CBD is not illegal in Florida, where the ship was departing, as long as it contains 0.3 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which has mind-altering properties. Veldhuizen’s gummies had 0.1 per cent THC.

However, when security found them at Port Miami, she was taken away from her family and allegedly interrogated by police and security staff for two and a half hours.

Initially, Veldhuizen thought she had committed a minor error, similar to taking a bottle of water through TSA.

She was then told that the cruise line, like most major cruise lines, banned CBD and she could not board.

After discovering she would not be allowed on the ship, her family also decided to forgo the trip, which allegedly cost $10,000.

Carnival later notified Veldhuizen that she was banned for life from the cruise line.

The company said this was in line with federal law, which states CBD is a controlled substance, read a statement to Local 10 News.

“Our responsibility is to follow federal guidelines and stop prohibited items from being brought on board our ships,” the spokesperson stated, adding that the company made it clear what items were banned, on its website and in pre-cruise communications.

Veldhuizen’s attorney, Daren Stabinski, claims the interrogation that took place at Port Miami was “false imprisonment” as the Cruise Line’s list of prohibited items does not specifically call out CBD.

Given their popularity amongst older travellers, it would be easy to assume cruise ships don’t typically face issues with passengers taking drugs on board.

However, this may be changing, as cannabis use increases amongst people aged 65 and older in the US, The New York Times reports.

Only 0.4 per cent claimed they’d used cannabis in 2007 but in 2016 this increased to almost 3 per cent. By 2022, more than 8 per cent claimed to have used it, most often to treat pain, anxiety or, as Veldhuizen stated, for sleep issues.