TTPRADARCBP's position is plain: marijuana possession is illegal under federal law, including medical marijuana, and that applies to Global Entry members. State legalization does not change what happens at a port of entry. If cannabis is found on you, your membership is at risk.
Below, the three situations people ask about, and where the published record runs out.
What CBP says about marijuana and Global Entry
In a 2021 release about a case at Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), CBP said "marijuana possession remains illegal according to federal law" and that federal law "still prohibits the possession of both medical and recreational use marijuana." It added that violations "will result in the appropriate enforcement action and termination of the traveler's membership privileges."
The case behind that release is concrete. On May 26, 2021, officers at BWI found a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia on a Global Entry member. CBP assessed a $500 "zero tolerance" penalty and revoked the membership.
We read that release as a reprint on a local news site, not on cbp.gov, so treat the exact wording accordingly. The enforcement position it describes is consistent with the regulation below.
The rule that makes it a membership problem
Global Entry is governed by 8 CFR 235.12. It lets CBP find an applicant ineligible, at its sole discretion, for criminal arrests or convictions, pending charges or warrants in any country, and customs, immigration or agriculture violations in any country. It also lists a potential risk of criminality, or being otherwise not low-risk, as grounds.
That is the regulatory route from "found with a little marijuana" to "no longer in the program": a seizure or penalty at the border gives CBP grounds to act under the rule.
Three situations
1. You use cannabis legally at home and are applying
We found no retrievable CBP or DHS statement that past or current state-legal use makes you ineligible, and none that says you must volunteer it. We are not going to claim either. What the rule does say is that eligibility turns on things like arrests, convictions, violations and risk, all at CBP's discretion.
2. You carry cannabis or CBD across the border
For marijuana, the answer is above: CBP treats it as illegal under federal law at ports of entry, and the BWI member lost their membership for a small amount plus paraphernalia. For hemp-derived CBD, we found no CBP or DHS guidance, so we cannot tell you it is treated differently from marijuana. We cannot tell you it is the same either.
The practical reading: do not assume a legal purchase protects you at the port. The BWI case involved a small quantity, and it still ended in a fine and revocation.
3. Your edibles are found on arrival
This is the BWI scenario in a different form. A seizure, a penalty or a customs violation is the kind of event 8 CFR 235.12 lets CBP act on, and CBP's stated position is that violations lead to termination of membership.
We found no source on cannabis discovered in a companion's bag or in luggage you did not pack, so we say nothing about it either way.
What to say at the interview
We found no official guidance on specific wording for cannabis questions at the interview. The supportable advice is narrower: answer truthfully. Under 8 CFR 235.12, providing false or incomplete information on the application or during the process is disqualifying and is a ground for removal.
That makes an untruthful answer its own risk, separate from whatever you were asked about.
What leads to removal, and what you can do
CBP can suspend or remove a member at its sole discretion, with written notice and immediate effect. Grounds include disqualifying activity, false information, failing to follow program terms, or no longer meeting eligibility criteria. The fee is not refunded. The regulation itself does not use the word "revocation," but that is the practical outcome.
If you are denied or removed, there are two redress routes: DHS TRIP, and a reconsideration request to the CBP Trusted Traveler Ombudsman, submitted through the online Trusted Traveler Programs system or another CBP-approved process. The regulation says these processes confer no legal right and are wholly discretionary for CBP. Use them, but do not plan around them.
Bottom line
Leave cannabis at home when you cross a border. If you are applying, answer every question truthfully. For the wider picture of how eligibility works, see the Global Entry guide library, or the FAQ.