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    TSA Not Looking To Bust Passengers For Marijuana

    Shawn W Posted on
    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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    Shawn W
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