Technically, TSA isn’t checking for your weed, but if they find it, it may be a problem for you. Still, many are able to illegally board aircraft with flower or other forms of the plant. Last week, a passenger tried to smoke weed in the plane bathroom before a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Cancun, but the result was unfortunate for everyone involved. To avoid losing his job, the pilot of the flight refused to take off, causing a four-hour delay.
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According to one of United Airlines Flight 1679’s passengers, the pilot said, “I have 30 years left of my career at United; I’m not willing to risk getting drug tested when I get to Houston.”
Passengers were given a negligible $15 meal voucher after being made to deplane and await a new crew. The original one was worried they’d been exposed to cannabis—if their fears were correct, they may have failed their mandated FAA drug tests.
United Airlines did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
The pilot and his crew would have probably been fine—studies show that positive drug tests as a result of secondhand smoke are extremely rare. It would take heavy exposure in an enclosed space over a prolonged period to pose a serious enough risk to potentially fail a drug test. Basically, unless he was hotboxing the lavatory with the passenger, the United pilot would likely have been safe.
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Still, his hesitation is valid. Following high-profile issues with air travel nationwide, marked by crashes and other mishaps, extreme caution is warranted. Also, the wiggle room on these types of tests is incredibly low.
“Virtually any detectable level of marijuana metabolite in urine is considered a failed test, regardless of reason,” said Gary Leff of View From the Wing.
Above all, the passenger should have known better to try to smoke in such an enclosed space. Even if you’re coming from a place as weed-positive as San Francisco, keep in mind that weed is still illegal federally, and that places like airports are bound by those laws. Don’t ruin things for everyone just because you want to fly high.