I do this too, but I think some people say carry-on is safer. Since they believe there is no risk facing any harsher punishment than having to throw it away, having it in carry is better because it won't mean your checked bag gets diverted or held back for additional searches that results in it not making your flight.
So I fly with it regularly (live in CA, visit family in WA and ATL, etc.), and I always put it in my carry-on. I've done this for maybe 30 or so flights, and have only had my bag searched twice. The first time, TSA pulled some edibles out, looked the bag over, then kept digging for the water bottle I'd forgot I left in my bag. The second time (vape pen and a couple of joints), same thing, but they were searching for a jar of jam that my wife put in the bag. Each time, they returned the cannabis products to my bag without hesitation. That's so stereotypically TSA for you - water and marionberry jam are hazards, but you can have that Schedule 1 controlled substance.
My thought process with it being in my carry-on is that I don't have to worry about the "what ifs" in my bag getting pulled for inspection when I'm not around, and I do my research to see what local PD has said about it at each airport before I fly out of them. If they're largely "cool" with it, I'd rather be there when someone finds it so that I can say, "Look, my bad, let's toss it out, yeah?". I also make sure that if I'm traveling to where it's not legal (ie Atlanta), I only bring enough for me to use up during the duration of my trip. I'm sure it'd be "fine" for me to travel with it through TSA in ATL since they're not actively looking for it, but the risk of local PD getting involved is just not worth the reward when it's just a five hour flight until I can toke up in the comfort of my own home.
Always give them something interesting to find first, to make their search seem worthwhile.
John Waters described how Divine would smuggle marijuana in her artificial vagina, which she would check in her luggage at the top. Once they found that, they'd decide they didn't need to search any more, without looking inside.
On Divine Getting Through Airport Security As A Drag Queen
Finding Divine's false tits in his luggage, Airport Security] would slam it back shut. He'd have his cheater on the top — his fake vagina — and [Divine] said he could come through customs with pot, they'd see the cheater and go, "Oh! Oh!" He would put the cheater right on top [in] his suitcase. Divine's cheater is at Wesleyan University at the Film Archives. Clint Eastwood's is too. No, Clint Eastwood is in the same place with me and I said to Clint Eastwood, "Y'know, just think, Divine's cheater and Dirty Harry's police badge will rest together forever!"
Makes sense, but I just wanted to add one small clarification: it is decriminalized in ATL now. Not legal, but you essentially just get off with a maximum fine of $75. [0]
I'm curious as to what they would even do with an unlabeled cartridge? It could just be nicotine e-juice. I think they'd have to either object to the form of the object (no vape cartridges allowed, for example), or actually crack it open and test it for THC content. Seems like they'd be unlikely to bother with that for such a low level possession offense.
Mine aren't entirely unlabeled. Pax Era batteries are specifically made for cannabis and their pods have strain names on them. Many of the standard cartridge batteries also have brand names on them. I doubt most TSA agents would recognize something like that, but it's always possible.
It's a very different consistency and all the THC carts I've seen are all amber in color. It's just very low on anyones list of things they care about. Even the dreaded TSA
