TSA Not Looking To Bust Passengers For Marijuana

Since laws are rapidly
changing regarding the legal use of marijuana, the Transportation Safety
Administration is having a hard time deciding whether it allows Arline
passengers to fly with pot.

So the question is should you keep calm and carry it on?

Since TSA is a federal
agency it still has to enforce federal law. Even though medical
marijuana has been legalized in 20 states, and two states allow the
recreational use of cannabis, weed remains illegal on a federal level.

On TSA’s website
they make it clear that its agents are not actively searching for the
drug.”TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other drugs.
In the event a substance that appears to be marijuana is observed during
security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement
officer,” the TSA website states. “Whether or not marijuana is
considered ‘medical marijuana’ under local law its not relevant to TSA
screening because TSA is governed by federal law and federal law
provides no basis to treat medical marijuana any differently than
non-medical marijuana.”

If marijuana is
discovered in a carry-on or checked bag, it doesn’t mean that the person
will be turned over to local police. The agency adds that “the final
decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane”

In 2011, TSA agents at Denver International Airport agents found a
small bag of weed in rapper Freddie Gibbs’ luggage and simply left him a
chiding note reading “C’mon son.”

Quantity may be the key to the TSA’s response. On Sept. 25, TSA agents
at Los Angeles International Airport discovered 100 pounds of pot in a
passenger’s checked luggage.“The bags were going through the screening process,” TSA spokesman Nico
Melendez told the Daily Breeze. “There was some sort of alarm, and we
had to open the bag. We found these big packages of what turned out to
be marijuana wrapped up to look like a birthday gift.”

Valued at $300,000, the marijuana was promptly turn over to DEA agents
and the LAPD, though the owner of the drug was not located.

In some states where medical marijuana is legal, passengers have
reported presenting their paperwork to TSA agents, who have allowed them
to continue onto flights with their pot. That hesitance to intervene
has marijuana rights advocates smiling.

“I’m delighted to hear that because I think it shows that TSA primarily
is acting as it was intended when it was established, to protect all of
us when we travel on the airlines and to thwart terrorists. It is not
supposed to be an anti-drug agency,” Keith Stroup, an attorney and
founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
told Lawyers.com.
“What nobody feels 100 percent comfortable with is it’s a grey zone
you’re going through. It’s technically still illegal even though they
aren’t enforcing it very strongly.”

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TSA Not Looking To Bust Passengers For Marijuana

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